Epidemiology Measures of Mortality Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key mortality rates, formulas, indicators of disease severity, premature mortality measures, and health outcomes from Gordis Epidemiology Chapter 4.

Lifetime Mortality Rate

The all-cause mortality rate for any population over a complete lifetime, which is equal to $100\%$ because everybody eventually dies.

Leading Cause of Cancer Death

Lung (and bronchus) cancer, which has been the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women since 1995.

Second Leading Cause of Cancer Death

Prostate cancer for men and breast cancer for women, holding these positions since approximately 1995.

Age

The most important factor and most reliable determinant of death, with older individuals being more likely to die than younger individuals, all else equal.

General Mortality Rate

An annual all-cause death rate calculated as $\frac{\text{\# deaths from all causes in 1 year}}{\text{\# persons in the population at midyear}} \times 10^n$.

Age-Specific Mortality Rate

A mortality rate calculated by restricting the numerator to deaths occurring in a specific age group and the denominator to the number of persons in that same age group.

Disease-Specific Mortality Rate

A mortality rate calculated by restricting the numerator to deaths from a specific disease and the denominator to the population at risk for that disease.

Case Fatality Rate

Calculated as $\frac{\text{\# individuals dying during a specified period after onset}}{\text{\# individuals with the specified disease}} \times 10^n$, serving as a measure of disease severity (lethality) and treatment effectiveness.

Proportionate Mortality

Calculated as $\frac{\text{\# deaths from a specific disease in a year}}{\text{total \# deaths in a year}} \times 10^n$, representing the share or fraction of overall deaths attributable to a specific cause.

Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL)

A measure of premature mortality defined as the total number of years of life lost before age $75$ due to a disease.

Underlying Cause of Death

The disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events leading directly or indirectly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury.

Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR)

Calculated as $\frac{\text{Observed \# of deaths per year}}{\text{Expected \# of deaths per year}}$, used to determine if a specific sub-population has a higher or lower mortality burden than expected compared to a general population.

Cohort Effect

Variations over time in one or more characteristics among a group of individuals sharing a common experience, such as birth year/decade or duration of exposure.

Impairment

Any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological, or anatomical structure or function.

Disability

Any restriction or lack of ability to perform an activity in the manner or range considered normal.

Handicap

A disadvantage resulting from an impairment or disability that limits or prevents the fulfillment of a normal role.

Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY)

A composite measure of disease burden that combines years of life lost to premature death and years lived with a disability of specified severity and duration, where one DALY equals one lost year of healthy life.

Five Leading Causes of DALYs (Globally, 2015)

1. Ischemic heart disease, 2. Lower respiratory infections, 3. Stroke, 4. Preterm birth complications, 5. Diarrheal diseases.