Measuring and Describing Disease Flashcards
(45 cards)
Define Endemic
Diseases that reside within a population
Define Epidemic
Diseases that befall a population
What is Epidemiology
How often diseases occur in different groups of people and why
What is an exposure?
The variable we are trying to associate with a change in health status
What are the three types of disease prevention?
- Primary
- Secondary
- Tertiary
What is primary prevention? Give an example.
Prevention of disease through controlling exposure to risk factors.
Example: Reducing salt intake in the diet to reduce risk of hypertension.
What is secondary prevention? Give an example.
Application of available measures to detect early departures from health and to introduce appropriate treatment and interventions.
Example: Prescribing antihypertensives for a patient with newly diagnosed hypertension.
What is tertiary prevention? Give an example.
Application of measures to reduce/eliminate long term impairments, minimising suffering caused by existing departures from good health and promoting adjustments to life with the condition.
Example: Stroke rehabilitation
What 6 words should guide us in epidemiological investigation?
- Who
- What
- When
- Where
- Why
- How
What are the 4 stages of epidemiologic transition?
- Pestilence and Famine
- Receding Pandemics
- Degenerative and Man-Made Diseases
- Delayed Degenerative Diseases and Emerging Infections
What characteristics are associated with the ‘Pestilence and Famine’ stage of epiodemiological transition?
- Urbanisation
- Constraints on food supply
- High birth rate and high mortality
- Life expectancy low at birth
Define Life Expectancy
A period of time at a specific stage. Example: Life expectancy at birth = average length of time you can expect to live for based on everyone in the population.
What are the characteristics of the ‘Receding Pandemics’ stage of epidemiologic transition?
- Agricultural development improves nutrition
- Life expectancy increases
- Improvements in water, sanitation and hygiene
- Vaccination emerges
- High birth rate with reducing mortality = INCREASE IN POPULATION
What are the characteristics of the ‘Degenerative and Man-Made Diseases’ stage in epidemiologic transition?
- Emergence of NCDs
- Environmental and global determinants driving risk factors
- Tech reduces need for physical labour
Describe the characteristics of the ‘Delayed Degenerative Diseases and Emerging Infections’ stage of epidemiologic transition.
- Health tech defers morbidity
- Emerging zoonoses presenting new threats
- Inequalities between countries come to the forefront
What does the epidemiologic transition model demonstrate?
How populations, health and disease change over time
What was the role of epidemiology in the history of HIV? Give two points
- Describing the constellations of signs and symptoms
- Identifying the causative pathogen
- Inferring the mechanisms of transmission
- Determining risk factors
- Designing prevention strategies
- Evaluating efficacy of intervention
What is a case series?
A document comprising multiple case reports drawn together.
What are the two different types of study design?
- Observational research
2. Interventional research
Whatvare the two different research methods?
- Qualitative research
2. Quantatative research
What are the different types of epidemiological approach?
- Descriptive epidemiology
2. Analytic epidemiology
What are DALYs?
Disability Adjusted Life Years - a measure of disease burden that combines years of life lost from ill-health, disability or premature death.
What is the definition of ‘odds’?
The ratio of the probability (P) of an event to the probability of its complement (1-P)
What are the four measures of frequency?
- Odds
- Prevalence
- Cumulative Incidence
- Incidence Rate
