epidemiology of coronary heart disease

Question 1

what is epidemiology?

Answer 1

the study of the distribution and determents of health related states or events in specified populations and the application of this study to the control of health problems

Question 2

what are determents of health?

Answer 2

• education
• work environment
• living and woking conditions
• unemployment
• housing
  -health care services
• water and sanitation

Question 3

what are different types of epidemiological study?

Answer 3

• surveillance
• cohort (longitudinal- perspective or retrospective)
• ecological/cross sectional
• case/ control?

Question 4

when you are appeasing a study or data, what should you be aware of?

Answer 4

• what are the weaknesses of the study?
• what are its sources (is it representative)?
• reliability and validity?
• bias and confounding variables?

Question 5

how many people in Scotland died of heart disease in 2020?

Answer 5

6727

Question 6

describe the decline in morbidity/mortality of heart disease in Scotland?

Answer 6

• 24% decline over the last 10 years (but the rate has slowed in the last 5 yrs)
• hospital discharges for heart attacks have decreased 14% over the last 10 yrs
• in 2020/21 93% of ppl survived 30 days or more following their first heart attack compared to 91% in 2010/11
• the death rate for heart failure has decreased by 23% over the last yrs

Question 7

what are non modifiable risk factors for heart disease?

Answer 7

age
sex
genetic factors

Question 8

what are modifiable risk factors for heart disease?

Answer 8

personal = smoking, diet, physical activity, high blood pressure, diabetes

social/environment = deprivation, income, employment, education, housing, air quality.

Question 9

what was the prevalence of smoking in 2019?

Answer 9

17% of adults smoked in 2019
highest was among aged 25-54
lowest was among >75

Question 10

what is a persons assign score?

Answer 10

it will estimate a persons risk of developing a CVD, taking into consideration:
- age
- sex
- postcode
- family CVD
- smoking
- BP
- cholesterol

Question 11

what is the prevention paradox?

Answer 11

Geoffrey Rose 1981
- people based interventions or high risk targets
- there is a prevention paradox that shows that interventions can achieve large overall health gains for whole populations but might offer only small advantages to each individual

Question 12

what Is the difference between the population approach and the risk approach?

Answer 12

population approach= encourages everyone to change, shifting the entire distribution (this one will have greater benefits)

risk reduction = moves high risk individuals into a normal range.

Question 13

what can you do by using a systemic epidemiological approach?

Answer 13

• we can find good data, intelligence and knowledge on CHD and its causes
• we can find good studies and research which helps us to analyse and interpret this
• we can apply this to population and our patients.