Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Medicine - Flashcards

Flashcards covering key epidemiology concepts: definitions, patterns, descriptive/analytic epidemiology, population focus, common terms, risk/prevalence/incidence, descriptive factors (Person/Place/Time), case examples, and study methods.

What is the definition of epidemiology?

The study of the distribution and determinants of health and disease in the human population.

Do patterns of disease occur randomly?

No — they show variations of occurrence and exposure to risk variables, and descriptive epidemiology identifies populations based on risk exposure.

What is descriptive epidemiology used for?

To identify populations based on risk exposure.

What is analytic epidemiology used for?

To understand determinants or causes of disease by comparing groups.

Name the population focus levels in epidemiology.

Global, National, Regional, Special Populations.

Why is epidemiology important?

It helps determine outcomes, quantify the extent of disease, and understand disease to control its spread.

What are the two main branches of epidemiology?

Descriptive epidemiology and Analytic epidemiology.

Define morbidity.

Illness due to disease.

Define mortality.

Death from a cause.

Define case fatality.

Proportion of persons with a condition who die within a specified period; CF = deaths / diagnosed.

Define risk in epidemiology.

The proportion of a population that develops the outcome within a defined period; range 0 to 1; percent = risk × 100.

Define prevalence.

The proportion of persons in a population who have the condition of interest at a given time; P = existing cases / population.

Define incidence rate.

The rapidity with which newly diagnosed cases develop; IR = new cases / person-time; often expressed per 100,000.

What is survival in epidemiology?

The likelihood of remaining alive after a diagnosis.

Define Descriptive Epidemiology.

The evaluation of the distribution of disease within a population.

What does the 'Person' component include in Descriptive Epidemiology?

Male or female, age, race/ethnicity, personal characteristics.

What does the 'Place' component include in Descriptive Epidemiology?

Residence, geographical/ecological patterns, patterns of variation, and correlation studies.

What does the 'Time' component include in Descriptive Epidemiology?

Months, years, decades; life studies/cohort follow-up (e.g., Framingham, birth-to-death cohorts).

What is migration and disease occurrences studying?

Whether the extent of disease is determined by factors like genetic and environmental exposures (examples include the Pima Indians and diabetes).

Give an example of a special population mentioned.

Shipyard workers and asbestos exposure.

What does PPR stand for in the Case Example?

Participation to Prevalence Ratio.

What does a PPR of 1 indicate?

That the female representation in a trial is comparable to that in the disease population.

What PPR thresholds indicate under- or overrepresentation?

PPR < 0.8 indicates underrepresentation; PPR > 1.2 indicates overrepresentation.

What statistical tests were used in the Case Example analysis?

Kruskal–Wallis test, Mann–Whitney U test, and a nonparametric test for trend.

What does Descriptive Epidemiology’s Time component study?

Temporal patterns: when the disease occurs (months/years/decades) and cohort timelines.