A pediatric approach to family history of cardiovascular disease: diagnosis, risk assessment, and management

Abstract

The medical family history is a comprehensive and dynamic record of illnesses and other pertinent health information among family members. Family history is used to facilitate diagnosis, to identify family members at risk for developing a particular disease, and increasingly to manage disease. This article reviews the application of family history to pediatric cardiovascular disease. As more is learned about the genetic basis of cardiovascular disease, the family history will play an increasingly central role in management. Improved understanding of the causes of pediatric cardiovascular disease promises the opportunity to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Keywords: Cardiomyopathy; Cardiovascular malformation; Congenital heart disease; Counseling; Family history; Genetic syndromes; Pediatrics; Risk assessment; Sudden death.