Many people may be able to find heart disease in their family history, considering that coronary heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States. If family history is considered a risk factor, there are certain rules that apply.
For example, family history is limited to immediate family members. Only parents or brothers and sisters who have been diagnosed with premature heart disease are considered. Although they are part of your extended family, grandparents, cousins, or other distant relatives who have been diagnosed with heart disease are not included when determining whether family history is a risk factor.
Age also helps determine if family history is a risk factor for you. For male family members, the key age to remember is 55. Only if your father or brother was diagnosed with heart disease under the age of 55 should you consider family history to be a risk factor. For female family members, the key age is 65. Family history is considered a risk factor only if your mother or sister was diagnosed with heart disease before the age of 65.