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Know your health risks

Some risks factors can't be changed, such as your genetics or ethnicity. Others are within your control, like diet and physical activity. You can make a difference in lowering your personal health risks by making changes to what factors are in your control. 

What your genes can tell you about your health

Your genes can unlock clues about much more than where your relatives came from.

Your genes can provide information about diseases or health conditions that may have existed in your family members and could be passed down to you. This information can help you and your doctors develop a plan for prevention, early detection or treatment that's right for you.

Main Line Health provides a personalized risk assessment, genetic counseling and testing for cancer and heart disease, as well as for birth defects and other pregnancy-related conditions.

Keep your stroke risk in check

If you have a family history of stroke, or if you are a member of a high-risk ethnicity such as South Asian, Black or Hispanic, you can lower your risk of stroke by

• Staying active
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Lowering your blood pressure
• If you smoke, quit now

If your need for stroke care does arise, Main Line Health offers state-of-the-art neurointervention care at Paoli Hospital and Bryn Mawr Hospital. Through our collaboration with Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience, our multidisciplinary team of specialists provides the complete continuum of post-surgical care at our accredited thrombectomy-capable stroke center.

Are you at a higher risk of prostate cancer?

Although age is the most common risk factor for prostate cancer, if you are Black or have a family history of prostate cancer, you may be at higher risk. According to the Center for Disease Control, Black men, especially, tend to:

• Get prostate cancer at a younger age
• Have more advanced disease when it is detected
• Have a more severe type of prostate cancer than other men.

Take time to focus on your health and lower your risk factor of prostate cancer by eating healthier, add more fruits and vegetables to your diet, limit your fats, alcohol and processed foods, and make time for exercise.

Never hesitate to see your doctor if you develop potential prostate cancer warning signs like urinary problems or pain in your pelvis, hips or back.

Manage your risk of cardiovascular disease

For women of all races and ages, the numbers show that heart disease is the leading cause of death.

However, research has continued to show that heart disease is especially common among communities of color. Among Hispanic communities, in particular, women develop heart disease a full decade younger than non-Hispanic women.

It's important to schedule regular checkups to discuss family history and how to proactively manage heart disease risk, including knowing key heart health numbers like blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI, triglycerides, and body weight. You can also find support with Lankenau Heart Institute's Women's Heart Initiative, a comprehensive health care program specifically dedicated to education and awareness about women's heart care.

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