You can increase your awareness of hereditary diseases by discovering what chronic diseases your parents, grandparents, and other relatives have. By having this knowledge, you can often learn whether or not you have a disease, or might be a carrier. In some cases, certain diseases like Alzheimer's is hereditary, but doesn't show up until later in life. However, if your family has a tendency to have this disease, it is often very likely that you too will have it once you reach a certain age.