Epidemiology Flashcards

1
Q

What is epidemiology?

A

The study of health and disease in populations

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2
Q

What is sensitivity?

A

If disease positive, the chance of being test positive

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3
Q

What is specificity?

A

If disease negative, the change of the test being negative

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4
Q

What is the predictive value of a positive test?

A

If tested positive, the chances of being disease positive

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5
Q

What is the predictive value of a negative test?

A

If tested negative for a disease, the chances of being negative

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6
Q

What is true prevalence?

A

Number of Disease positive

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7
Q

What is apparent prevalence?

A

Number of test positive

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8
Q

What is a cause? Usually multiple

A

Environmental or individual characteristics which affects the incidence of disease

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9
Q

What is a risk factor?

A

A variable whose presence or absence influences the incidence of a disease
Can be direct/indirect

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10
Q

What are associations?

A

Examining whether a variable is a risk factor, by examining the association between the variable and disease

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11
Q

What is the population at risk?

A

The number of individuals at risk from contracting a disease

Can be entire population

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12
Q

What is prevalence?

A

The number of individuals with a disease at a given time

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13
Q

What is incidence?

A

The number of new cases within a time period, as a proportion of those at risk

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14
Q

What is the equation for incidence rate?

A

Number of new cases/ population at risk

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15
Q

What is incidence risk?

A

The probability of an event occuring in a number of individuals followed for a period of time

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16
Q

What is relative risk/rate?

A

How many more times likely you are to contract a disease due to a risk factor

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17
Q

WHat is attributable risk/risk difference?

A

The risk of a disease in exposed individuals that can be associated with the risk factor

18
Q

What is attributable rate difference?

A

The disease rate in exposed individuals that can be attributed to the risk factor

19
Q

What is an endemic?

A

The constant presence of a disease (always there)

20
Q

What is an epidemic?

A

A sharp increase of a disease above normal levels

21
Q

What is an outbreak?

A

A sudden epidemic of short duration

22
Q

What is a pandemic?

A

A worldwide epidemic

23
Q

What is a confounding variable?

A

An outside influence that changes that outcome of an experiment

24
Q

How do you deal with confounding variables?

A

Stratification
Matching
Attempting corrections

25
Q

What is bias?

A

Something that makes non-random differences between groups being studied

26
Q

What is population? What happens as this increases?

A

Total number of individuals

Becomes normal distribution

27
Q

What is a sample? What is the problem with sampling?

A

A random selection of the population

Leads to uncertainty

28
Q

What is a variable?

A

A characteristic that can be different in individuals

Can be categorical, quantities or ordinal (very ill, moderately ill, not ill)

29
Q

What is used to calculate statistical signifcance?

A

Null hypothesis
Alternative hypothesis
Confidence limits
P value

30
Q

What happens to specificity as sensitivity increases?

A

Decreases

31
Q

What happens to the predictive value of a positive test as prevalence increases?

A

Also increases

32
Q

When there is a low true prevalence, what happens to apparent prevalence?

A

Over estimation

33
Q

What are the 3 types of epidemiological study?

A

Descriptive
Analytical
Experimental

34
Q

What are the 4 types of analytic study?

A
CLCG
Cross sectional 
Longitudinal 
Group based
Case control
35
Q

What is a cross sectional study? When is it not suitable?

A

Studying the prevalence of a condition and the possible risk factors
For low incidence/short duration

36
Q

What is a longitudinal/cohort study and what are the advantages and disadvantages?

A

Follows a group for a period of time to see which individuals develop a disease
Expensive and time consuming
All individuals start healthy - informative

37
Q

What is a case control study?

A

Looks at individuals with disease and compares with those without a disease (similar age, gender etc)

38
Q

What is a group based study?

A

Comparing the experience of a population without examining characteristics

39
Q

In general, what are analytical studies?

A

Examining the situation between characteristics, causes and outcomes of a disease

40
Q

What is a descriptive epidemiological study?

A

Study which describes the situation of a disease in a population

41
Q

What are experimental studies?

A

2 types
intervention studies put animals at subject to risk factor
clinical trials look for treatment