INTRO TO EPIDEMIOLOGY Flashcards
Study of factors that determine the occurrence and distribution of disease in a population.
Epidemiology
Public health professionals who investigate patterns, causes of disease, and injury to humans.
Epidemiologists
TYPES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY (CCCSI)
Classical
Clinical
Chronic Disease
Syndromic
Infectious Disease
○ Population oriented
○ Studies the community origins of health problems
Classical Epidemiology
○ More on community
○ Interested in discovering risk factors
■ Risk factors that might be altered in a population to prevent or delay a disease and even death.
Classical Epidemiology
○ Studies patients in health care settings
○ Improve prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and care of illness in individuals
Clinical Eidemiology
○ Investigators involved in ______ epidemiology, use the same research designs and statistical tools used in classical epidemiology.
○ More on health care settings
Clinical Epidemiology
○ Looks for patterns of signs and symptoms that indicate the origin in bioterrorism.
Syndromic Epidemiology
○ Study of the complex relationships among hosts and infectious agents.
○ Dependent more on laboratory support, especially on microbiology and serology.
Infectious Disease Epidemiology
○ Addresses the etology, prevention, distribution, natural history, and treatment outcomes of chronic health disorder.
○ Dependent on complex sampling and non-statistical methods.
Chronic Disease Epidemiology
- Population oriented
- Focus on health problems in the community (e.g., infectious agents, human behavior; social, economical)
Classical
- Patient oriented
- Focus on health problems in the health care settings
Clinical
- Patterns of signs and symptoms
- Useful to indicate an origin in bioterrorism
Syndromic
Investigates occurrence of epidemics of communicable diseases
-Dependent heavily on laboratory support (microbiology and serology)
Infectious disease
- Study long term effects on chronic disease risk of physical and social exposure
- Dependent on sampling and statistical methods
Chronic disease
The scientific study of disease can be approached at the following four levels:
Submolecular or Molecular Level
Tissue or Organ Level
Level of Individual Patients
Level of Populations
Cell Biology, Genetics, Biochemistry, and Immunology
Submolecular or Molecular Level
Anatomic Pathology
Tissue or Organ Level
Clinical Medicine
Level of Individual Patients
Epidemiology
Level of Populations
STAGES OF DISEASE
Pre-Disease
Latent Disease
Symptomatic Disease
Before the disease process begins
Primary Prevention -to avert exposure to the agent of disease to prevent the disease process from starting
-Health Promotion
-Specific protection
Pre-Disease
when the disease process has already begun but still asymptomatic
Secondary Prevention -Screening for the disease diagnosis and provide appropriate treatment to prevent progression to symptomatic disease
-Pre - symptomatic
-Diagnosis and Treatment
Latent Disease
when the disease manifestations are evident
Tertiary Prevention -intervention may slow arrest or reverse the progression of the disease
-Disability limitation for early symptomatic disease
-Rehabilitation for late symptomatic disease
Symptomatic Disease
When discussing the heterology of disease, epidemiologists distinguish between ___________ versus ________________________
biological mechanisms / social, behavioral, and environmental causes of disease
elevated cholesterol are smoking, excessive fat intake, and lack of exercise
Behavioral factors
■ a bone disease which has both biological and social causes
■ Weakening of the bone, usually through the deficiencies of vitamin D.
Osteomalacia
EPIDEMIOLOGIC TRIANGLE (HAVE)
Host
Agent
Vector
Environment
○ Responsible for the degree to which the individual is able to adapt to the stressors produced by the agent
Host Factors
Host Resistance:
Genotype
Nutritional Status
Body mass index
Immune system
Social Behaviour
Agents of Disease or Illness (BPCS)
Biological Agents
Chemical Agents
Physical Agents
Social and Psychological Stressors
Allergens, infectious organisms, biological toxins, foods
Biological Agents
Chemical toxins, dusts
Chemical Agents
Kinetic energy, radiation, heat, cold, noise, physical wounds
Physical Agents
Anxiety, Depression
Social and Psychological Stressors
○ Influences the probability and circumstances of contact between host and agent
○ E.g., poor restaurant sanitation, poor roads or adverse weather conditions, crowded homes or schools
Environment
○To be an effective transmitter of disease, a ______ must have a specific relationship to the agent, the environment, and the host May include:
Insects, arachnids, mammals
Human groups
Inanimate objects
Part of the environment
Vectors
RISK FACTORS AND PREVENTABLE CAUSES
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors
○ Genetics, nutritional status, reproductive activities, personal behavior
Intrinsic factors
○ Man–made or naturally occurring carcinogens, viral infections, etc
○ WHO estimates majority of cancer cases are potentially preventable
Extrinsic factors
Categories of Preventable Cause of Disease (BEINGS)
Biologic factors and Behavioral factors
Environmental factors
Immunologic factors
Nutritional factors
Genetic factors
Services, Social factors, and Spiritual factors
Influenced by gender, age, weight, bone density, etc.
Change in behavior could prevent the outward outcomes
Biologic factors and Behavioral factors
Epidemiologists describe the patterns of the disease, develop and test hypotheses about causal factors, and introduce methods to prevent further cases of disease
Environmental factors
- the epidemic was caused by an infectious agent which was distributed through the air conditioners and ventilation system
Legionella Pneumophila
■ FIrst infectious disease known to have been eradicated from the globe
■ This was possible because vaccination against the disease can cause individual immunity and produced herd immunity
Smallpox
When vaccine diminishes and immunized person’s ability to spread the disease, leading to reduced disease transmission
If the majority of the population is vaccinated, the disease transmission may be reduced
Herd Immunity
■ Genetic abnormalities
■ Infections, certain medications
Immunodeficiency
Dietary variations play an important role in producing differences in disease rates among populations
Burkitt suggested a mechanism by which high intake of dietary fiber might prevent diseases or greatly reduce their incidence
Nutritional factors
■ Addresses the distribution of normal and abnormal genes in a given population
Genetic epidemiology
■ Contribution of genes relative to all determinants of disease
Heritability
■ Important in identifying problems in newborn and in determining susceptibility genes
Genetic screening
■ May be beneficial to health but can also be dangerous
Medical care services
■ Occurs when a disease is induced inadvertently by treatment or during a diagnostic procedure
Iatrogenic disease
■ Personal beliefs, religious faith
■ Family support, social networks
Social and Spiritual factors
