Question

Mrs. Jones, a 40-year-old female patient, is presenting for a history and physical. The nurse gathers a family history from the patient. She shares that her mother died at 70 years of age of colon cancer and had adult onset diabetes controlled with oral agents, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension. She had a stroke before passing away. Her father died at 67 years of age from a stroke. He had a long history of alcoholism and smoked two packs per day of cigarettes for 50 years. He had hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and two heart attacks; the first heart attack was at 30 years of age and the second at 52 years of age. He had adult onset diabetes controlled with oral agents since 50 years of age. He had renal stenosis that was unsuccessfully treated with a renal angioplasty and he developed end-stage renal failure requiring hemodialysis. Mrs. Jones has two brothers. One brother developed hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and adult onset diabetes controlled with oral agents at 50 years of age. The second brother has no health problems. The maternal grandmother died at 88 years of age of a stroke and had hypertension. The maternal grandfather died at 70 years of age of a massive heart attack and had a history of hypertension. The paternal grandmother died at 80 years of age of a heart attack. The paternal grandfather died at 50 years of age from bleeding esophageal varices related to long-standing alcoholism. The patient shares that her mother’s first cousin, George, died at 52 years of age of Hodgkin lymphoma. She has another first cousin Mabel, 72 years of age, who is alive but has had cancer of the colon and had a recent stroke, and has a history of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and adult onset diabetes controlled with diet. Her mother’s sister, who is 68 years of age, is alive and has a history of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. Her mother’s brother died at 68 years of age of renal cancer and had a history of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and adult onset diabetes controlled with oral agents. He also had a heart attack at 45 years of age and a coronary artery bypass graft operation of three vessels at 55 years of age. He smoked cigarettes for 50 years. The patient’s father was an only child and her father’s family all lived to be over 80 years of age. (Learning Objective 5)

What genetic-related diseases do the patient’s first-order relatives have?

What genetic-related diseases do the patient’s second-order relatives have?

Optional: Draw a genogram of the patient’s family’s health history using the example in the textbook (see Fig. 5-2) as a guide.

Answer 1

First-degree relative: Offspring, parents, or sibling

Mrs. Johns – Patient

Mother, - colon cancer, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and stroke

Father – Stroke, smoker, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, alcoholism, heart attacks, adult-onset diabetes, renal stenosis

Brothers (1) – Hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, adult-onset diabetes

Brother (2) – Healthy

Genetic-related diseases among first degree relatives: Hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, adult-onset diabetes, heart stroke or heart attack

Second-degree relative: grandparents, cousins

Maternal grandmother – stroke and hypertension

Maternal grandfather – Heart attack, hypertension

Paternal grandmother – Heart attack

Paternal grandfather – Alcoholism

First cousin (George) – Hodgkin lymphoma

First cousin (Mabel) – colon cancer, stroke, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, adult-onset diabetes

Patient mother’s sister – Hypertension, hypercholesterolemia

Patient mother’s sister – renal cancer, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, adult-onset diabetes, heart attack, smoker

Genetic-related diseases among second-degree relatives: Hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, adult-onset diabetes, heart stroke or heart attack