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Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal
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Volume 7: No. 1, January 2010

ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Familial Risk for Chronic Disease and Intent to Share Family History With a Health Care Provider Among Urban Appalachian Women, Southwestern Ohio, 2007

The figure shows how people are stratified into high, moderate, or average risk categories on the basis of their familial risk for a condition.

A person is considered at high risk if he or she meets any of the following: 1. Premature disease in a first-degree relative. Premature disease is considered coronary artery disease onset age 55 years or younger in men or 65 years or younger in women; stroke, type 2 diabetes, colon or prostate cancer onset 50 years or younger; breast, ovarian, or endometrial cancer onset premenopausal or 50 years or younger. 2. Premature disease in a second-degree relative (coronary artery disease only). 3. Two affected first-degree relatives. 4. A first-degree relative with late/unknown onset of disease and an affected second-degree relative with premature disease from the same lineage. 5. Two second-degree maternal or paternal relatives with at least 1 having premature onset of disease. 6. Three or more affected maternal or paternal relatives. 7. “Moderate risk” family history on both sides of the pedigree.

A person is considered at moderate risk if he or she meets either of the following: 1. A first-degree relative with late or unknown disease onset. 2. Two second-degree relatives from the same lineage with late or unknown disease onset.

A person is considered at average risk (general population risk) if he or she meets any of the following: 1. No affected relatives. 2. Only 1 affected second-degree relative from 1 or both sides of the pedigree. 3. No known family history. 4. Adopted with unknown family history.

Pedigrees that demonstrate clustering of different primary cancers consistent with a family cancer syndrome are considered high risk. Pedigrees that demonstrate clustering of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes consistent with syndrome X are considered high risk.

Figure. General familial risk stratification guideline. Adapted from Scheuner et al (8). Reprinted with permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


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