3 key facts your heart doctor wishes you knew

For many of us, the standard doctor’s office health history form is a bit of an annoyance. The longer it takes to fill in the blanks and check off the boxes, the longer it will take to get care, right? 

Turns out, a thoroughly honest form might be one of the most important things you do during the entire visit. In fact, filling out all the required boxes might not even be enough. 

According to the Mayo Clinic’s article, Medical history: Compiling your medical family tree, an incorrect guess on a doctor’s office form can result in a poor interpretation of your medical history. And you know the sections that press you to give any additional information that’s not already listed on the form? That’s where you’ll need to do your best detective work in order to be an active player in your health—and get the best care possible.

Here are three crucial pieces of “extra” info to bring to your next heart health appointment. 

1. Genetic History that Goes Beyond the Visit Checklist 
Was there someone on your mother’s side who had a heart condition, but you forget who it was and at what age they were diagnosed? If so, it’s time to take a deeper dive into your family tree.

According to the National Institutes of Health’s Genetics Home Reference, a family medical history should include background information about your grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, siblings, cousins, and children. Here are the things you should know about these relatives—besides just who had (or has) what:

• Ethnicity (ask about DNA ancestry test results)
• Multiple relatives with the same condition (say, two aunts with breast cancer)
• Multiple relatives with a certain disease combination (both diabetes and heart disease, for instance)
• An earlier-than-normal onset of a condition (10 to 20 years before usual)
• A condition that usually occurs in the opposite gender (such as men with breast cancer)

The sooner you start hunting down key details about your health, the better. Don’t wait until relatives move away (or pass away) and key information is lost. Also, don’t assume your family history is clear of heart disease, just because you’ve never heard about any complications from relatives.

2. Any Personal Problems or Traumas You’ve Been Experiencing 
While a recent death in the family or a job loss might seem unrelated to heart health, those personal troubles could be affecting your body in undetected or unexpected ways—so they’re worth bringing up to your doctor.

The 2019 guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease note that there are many “non-health-related” factors that can affect heart disease risk. Money problems, family or personal trauma, food or housing insecurity, a lack of transportation, a lack of social support, and a lack of self-care knowledge can all impact health outcomes. Share any personal details you are comfortable with, and report what you know about your family, too.

3. Anything Weird Happening With Your Body 
Here’s a big shocker: Many seemingly common or non-heart-related issues can signal heart disease or raise your risk of getting it. For example, having erectile dysfunction is as big a heart risk as a history of smoking is. People who have gum disease are up to three times more likely to have a heart problem. Breathlessness, fatigue, swollen ankles and feet, and a persistent cough can mean congestive heart failure. And a recent study found that people with irregular sleep patterns are more likely to experience a heart problem or stroke.

Also make sure to mention any of your health problems from earlier years, or any risk exposure you experienced from when you were younger—such as growing up in a smoking household. Women who had complications during pregnancy—especially high blood pressure or diabetes—should also mention those. (Doctors may not ask a postmenopausal woman about these, but they can raise your risk.)

Bottom Line: Don’t Put Off Your Information Search

Instead of thinking of those health forms as a pain, think of them as a puzzle: The more pieces your health care team has, the clearer the overall picture becomes.