The importance of knowing your family health history
Many rare diseases (80%) have a genetic component, which means that your family’s health history could hold important clues about your own health risks.
Understanding your family’s medical background empowers you to take control of your health—enabling earlier detection, better care options, and more informed decisions for yourself and your loved ones.
By learning about your family health history, you can:
- Identify risks for conditions that may run in your family
- Take preventive steps or schedule early screenings
- Make informed choices about lifestyle, medical care, and family planning
- Provide your healthcare team with vital information for more accurate diagnoses and care
Enroll now to learn how to better understand and communicate the importance of family health history, so you can:
- Empower your community with knowledge
- Support informed health decisions
- Advocate more effectively for early detection and better care
With thanks to:
Emmanuel, currently a genetic counselling associate at GeneLinx, who generously provided his and GeneLinx’s pro-bono support to create this resource for rare disease patient groups.
He is passionate about increasing genetic literacy and improving access to genomic healthcare services in Ghana.
About GeneLinx
We partner with healthcare providers, patient advocacy groups, and individuals to deliver compassionate, evidence-based genetic counseling services across various specialties including prenatal, cancer, cardiology, and rare diseases.
At Genelinx, we believe everyone deserves access to quality genetic counseling, regardless of location or circumstances.
To learn more about our services or to schedule a consultation, visit us at gene-linx.com.
With thanks to the Funders of The Empowerment Programme 2024/2025
Resource type
Course
Skill level
Beginner
Duration
1 hour
Last updated
July 2025
Resource type
Course
Skill level
Beginner
Duration
1 hour
Last updated
July 2025
What will you learn in this course?
- Why knowing your family health history is important for rare diseases
- The different types of genetic testing used with families
- How to collect your family health history
- How to work with a genetic counselor
- 7 ways you can discover your biological family’s health history if you were adopted or from a blended family
Who is this course for?
This course is designed for all rare disease patient groups who wish to explore the importance of understanding their family health history and the steps they can take to collect it, even if they are unaware of their biological family’s health history, so they can help their community do the same.
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