Measuring Risk Flashcards
The risk of breast and prostate cancer, heart disease and stroke, Alzheimer disease, autism, and osteoporosis are examples of topics in which the public has developed a strong
Interest
Characteristics associated with an increased risk of disease are called
-Some are inherited, some are part of the physical environment, some are part of the social environment
Risk factors
Some of the most powerful risk factors are
Behavioral (i.e. smoking, unprotected sex, etc.)
The affordable care act mandates that insurance now covers
Preventative services (i.e. screening tests, “routine visits”)
Means that a person, before becoming ill, has come in contact with or has manifested the factor in question
-can take place at a single point in time or over a period of time (i.e. cigarette smoking)
Risk factor exposure
Cigarette smoking, hypertension, sexual promiscuity, and sun exposure are examples of risk factors that have the risk of disease being more likely to occur with
Prolonged exposure
A genetic/familial risk factor could be the susceptibility to sickness and
Disease genes
Drug or chemical exposures in the home, community, or workplace environment are
Environmental risk factors
Radioactivity, Noise, and vibration are all
Physical agents of risk
What are two biological agents?
Infectious agents (bacteria, viruses, etc.) and allergens
Blood born pathogens, MRSA, and multiple drug resistant tuberculosis are examples of
Infectious agents
Stress, Life-threatening trauma, PTSD, and depression are all
Psychosocial agents
Repetitive motion jobs or hobbies, heavy lifting, and blast injuries (explosions) are all examples of
Mechanical agents
What are four life-style risk factors?
- ) Controlled substances
- ) Uncontrolled substances (i.e. alcohol, cigarettes)
- ) Unsafe sex
- ) Excessive sun exposure
Most morbidity or mortality is caused by chronic diseases, for which it is nearly impossible for a physician to use their own experiences to recognize the
Risk factors
The time between exposure and event
Latency
What causes SARS?
Coronavirus
Factors related to education, such as poor nutrition, less prenatal care, and cigarette smoking are remote causes of
Low birth weight
It is now clear that about half of lifetime users of tobacco will die because of
Tobacco use
Even though we have certain “common” diseases, the incidence of disease is actually
Low
The most common cause of cancer deaths in the US and people who smoke are as much as 20 times more likely to develop t than those who do not smoke
Lung cancer
Even still, the yearly incidence of lung cancer in people who have smoked heavily for 30 years is
2 to 3 per 1,000
The effects of individual risk factors for chronic disease are
Small