Genogram maker / Medical genogram
Medical genogram
A medical genogram maps a family’s health history across generations. It is a standard tool in nursing, family medicine and genetic counselling for spotting inherited risk.
Reading the example
- Shading marks conditions: here, the filled left half flags a diagnosed illness and the note beneath names it.
- Breast cancer appears in the maternal grandmother and in an aunt, the kind of pattern a genetic counsellor would follow up.
- Twins are drawn from a single point on the sibling line; the horizontal bar between them marks them as identical.
- Ages at death and causes are written beside each deceased person, which is what makes a medical genogram useful to a clinician.
Medical genogram symbols
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Serious physical or mental illness (write the diagnosis and age at onset beside it) | |
| Alcohol or drug misuse | |
| Suspected substance misuse | |
| In recovery from substance misuse | |
| Deceased, with the illness recorded; note cause and age at death | |
| Identical twins (important for heritability) |
What to record for a family health history
- First- and second-degree relatives: parents, siblings and children, then grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.
- Conditions with age at onset: heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancers (with type), mental illness, dementia, and known genetic conditions.
- Age and cause of death for every deceased relative. Early deaths are the strongest signal.
- Ancestry, where relevant, since some conditions are more common in particular populations.
- Pregnancy history: miscarriages and stillbirths can matter clinically.
The US Surgeon General’s family health history initiative and the CDC both recommend collecting this information and updating it over time. A genogram makes it easy to read at a glance.
Symbols for the rest of the family, relationships and life events are in the full genogram symbols key.
Frequently asked questions
What is a medical genogram?
A genogram focused on family health history. It uses the standard family symbols plus shading and notes for conditions, causes and ages of death, so hereditary patterns such as heart disease, diabetes or certain cancers become visible.
What are the medical genogram symbols?
In the McGoldrick–Gerson system a filled left half marks a serious physical or mental illness, a filled bottom half marks substance misuse, and hatching marks suspected misuse. Many clinics also use their own colour codes for specific conditions; whatever you use, include a key and write the condition name beside the symbol.
How is a medical genogram different from a genetic pedigree?
Genetic counsellors use a closely related standard, the pedigree nomenclature from the National Society of Genetic Counselors (Bennett et al.), which adds symbols for carrier status, testing and consultands. A medical genogram in primary care or nursing is usually simpler and keeps the relationship layer that pedigrees leave out.
Draw a medical genogram
Shade conditions, add diagnoses and export with a key.