Book description
Helps you develop and assess pedigrees to make diagnoses, evaluate
risk, and counsel patients
The Second Edition of The Practical Guide to the Genetic Family
History not only shows how to take a medical-family history and
record a pedigree, but also explains why each bit of information
gathered is important. It provides essential support in diagnosing
conditions with a genetic component. Moreover, it aids in recommending
genetic testing, referring patients for genetic counseling,
determining patterns of inheritance, calculating risk of disease,
making decisions for medical management and surveillance, and
informing and educating patients. Based on the author's twenty-five
years as a genetic counselor, the book also helps readers deal with
the psychological, social, cultural, and ethical problems that arise
in gathering a medical-family history and sharing findings with patients.
Featuring a new Foreword by Arno Motulsky, widely recognized as the
founder of medical genetics, and completely updated to reflect the
most recent findings in genetic medicine, this Second Edition
presents the latest information and methods for preparing and
assessing a pedigree, including:
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Value and utility of a thorough medical-family history
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Directed questions to ask when developing a medical-family
history for specific disease conditions
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Use of pedigrees to identify individuals with an increased
susceptibility to cancer
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Verification of family medical information
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Special considerations when adoptions or gamete donors are involved
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Ethical issues that may arise in recording a pedigree
Throughout the book, clinical examples based on hypothetical families
illustrate key concepts, helping readers understand how real issues
present themselves and how they can be resolved.
This book will enable all healthcare providers, including physicians,
nurses, medical social workers, and physician assistants, as well as
genetic counselors, to take full advantage of the pedigree as a
primary tool for making a genetic risk assessment and providing
counseling for patients and their families.
Robin L. Bennett has been a genetic counselor in
the genetics clinic at the University of Washington Medical Center for
over 20 years. She has proven and award-winning expertise in helping
patients, families, and her colleagues at all levels deal with the
multitude of practical, logistical, psychological, and diagnostic
issues that are a day to day part of genetic counseling.
