1Epidemiology Flashcards by Brendon Allen

Epidemiology

Study of distribution (who has the disease, where/when) and determinants (the factors, exposures, characteristics, behaviors that determine the patterns) of health disease in human populations

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Historic focus vs current focus of epidemiology

Historic:
-acute illnesses
-epidemics

Current:
-chronic diseases
-pandemic

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Epidemic

UNEXPECTEDLY large number of cases in a particular population

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Endemic

Disease that occurs REGULARLY in a population as a matter of course

(Louisville: flu, covid, RSV, alzehimers, heart disease)

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Pandemic

Out break over WIDE GEOGRAPHIC area

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Why we study epidemiology

Make meaningful comparison of disease frequency between:

-diseases (cause of death)
-population subgroups (men/women)
-places (urban/rural)
-time period (before/after intervention)

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Types of epidemiology

Descriptive

Analytical

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5 factors of epidemiology

Describe the occurance of a disease
Distribution
Frequency
Population
Determinants

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Descriptive epidemiology

Person:
-physical, sociodemographic, behavior

Place:
-geographic patterns, spatial patterns(john snow)

Time:
-frequency, general patterns

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Analytic epidemiology

Examines relationship among determinants of diseases

With the triangle: HOST—AGENT—ENVIRONMET

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Analytical epidemiology

What affects the host

Age and gender
Genetic susceptibility
Immunological status
Lifestyle factors (diet, exercise)

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Analytical epidemiology (agent)

Factors that cause a health problem

Infectious agents (bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites)

Chemical agent (pesticides, toxic chemicals)

Physical agents (radiation)

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Analytical epidemiology (environmental factors)

Climate: temp, rainfall

Working condition

Socioeconomic status (also affect host)

Human population distribution (crowdes, urban heat island(take all trees cause it to be hot)

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Communicable vs non-communicable

Communicable (infectious):
Flu, malaria, covid

non-communicable (non infectious):
HTN, HD, COPD

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Chain of infection

Step by step model of source to host

Agent (Cold)—
reservoir (throat)—
portal of exit (mouth/nose)—
Transmission (saliva droplets)—
Portal of entry. (Mouth)—
New infection

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Direct transmission

Transmitted through touching, kissing, sexual intercourse:

STIs
Mono
Impetigo
Lice
Scabies

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Indirect transmission

Types

Has intermediate step. Not direct

Airborne

Vehicle borne (inanimate object)

Vector borne (animal or insect)

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Airborne infections

Measles
Chickenpox
TB
Influenza

Vector-borne

West nile virus
Lyme disease
Malaria

Foodborne infections

Norovirus

Salmonellosis

Hep A

E. Coli
Clostridium botulinum

Universal precautions

Assuming everyone is sick

(Precautions we take with everyone)

Surveillance

Collection, analysis, and interpretation of data related to occurence of disease and health status in a given populatiom

Surveillance

Active vs passive

Report cases to who

Active: purposefully seeking out new cases of disease

Passive: commonly used by local/state health dept.

Has to be repoted otherwise CDC via NETS

Data we use in epidemiology

Vital records (birth-death certificates)

Surveillance

Insurance records

Original data (john snow going door to door)

Mortality vs morbidity

Mortality: death Morbidity: rate of disease

Risk

Probability that an event will occur within a specified time period Usually a %

Rate

How often a health event in a defined population in a specified period of time

Attack rate

Proportion of persons who are exposed to an agent and develop the disease Is a %

Incidence rate Prevalence rate

I: Occurance of NEW cases of a disease over time P: Covers total cases

Numerator vs denominator for calculating incidence rate

Numerator is new cases Denominator is total population

Mortality statistics is what

Most reliable measure of population health status

Crude mortality rate Vs Age-adjusted rates

Crude: Number of deaths/ population TOTAL Age: Makes comparisons of relative risk across groups and over time when groups differ in age

Again numerator vs denominator for RATE

N: # of occurances ————————— D: total population

Prevalence rate calulation Does it test for acute or chronic things?

# of existing cases in population at a specific time ———————————————————————— Total population Test chronic thing while incidence rates test acute things

Prevalence measures new and existing cases at a given time True or false?

True

Experimental study

Treatment and exposure occur in a controlled setting Randomized Control Trail: One group gets it other doesnt

Cross sectional study

Examines or surveys exposures and outcomes at one point in time

Prospective

Looks forward in time Examines future events Follows a disease or condition or group of people over time

Retrospective

Looks back in time Examines events that have already occurred

Elimination vs eradication of disease

Elim: Stopping a disease in a defined geographical region Eradication: Total elimination from the world population

Levels of prevention

Primary, secondary and tertiary

Primary vs secondary vs tertiary

Primary : PREVENT (they dont have anything yet) -exercise, diet, vaccinations, education Secondary: SCREEN (do or dont have it yet) -PAP smear, mamogram, BP Tertiary: TREATMENT (do have it) -ABX, rehabilitation, education on how to use inhaler

Immunity (Natural vs artificial)

Natural acquired: Active: exposure to antigen ( previously infected causes resistance to getting it again) Passive: contains antibodies (antibodies through placenta) Artificial acquired: Active: vaccine of live or tamed virus/portion of virus Passive: antibody injection