MHS Flashcards
How is cystic fibrosis passed on?
Recessively inherited Mendelian single gene disorder
How is Huntington’s disease passed on?
Dominantly inherited Mendelian disease
What is the most common of all inherited colon cancers and how is it passed on?
Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC)
Dominantly inherited
What are the five stages of grief?
Denial Anger Bargaining Depression Acceptance
Which country has the highest birth rate in women aged 15-19?
USA
What are the common causes of premature death in younger (
Cervical cancer Ischaemic heart disease Suicide Violence/assault Homicide
In the hierarchy of evidence what is highest?
A meta-analysis and systematic reviews containing 2 or more randomised control trials
In the hierarchy of evidence, what is second best?
Randomised control trials
In the hierarchy of evidence, what is least favoured?
Case series and expert opinions
Where in he hierarchy of evidence do observational studies rank?
4th out of 5
What can observational studies be subcategorised into?
Descriptive
Analytical
Name a descriptive observational study.
Case series
What are the four analytical observational studies?
Ecological
Cohort
Case control
Cross sectional
What are the two most reliable observational studies?
Cohort, followed by case-control
What is a case-control study?
Starts with cases.
Control are from the same population but do not have the disease
The question regarding the exposure under investigation
What are case-control studies good for determining?
Cause of a disease
What are cohort studies good for determining?
Outcome of a certain exposure, e.g. a drug
What are the strengths of a case-control study?
Investigation of a rare disease
Study of multiple exposures and determinants
Quick and cheap
Investigate long latent periods
What are the weaknesses of a case-control study?
Recall bias
Selection bias
Confounding factors
What is a cohort study?
Start with group of people free from disease
Classify into groups according to exposure to potential cause of a disease or outcome
Follow up and identify who goes on to develop disease
What are the strengths of a cohort study?
Investigate rare causes
Testing multiple effects of a cause
Measurements of tome relationship
Direct measurement of incidence
What are the weaknesses of a cohort study?
High probability of loss to follow up
Lengthy and costly
There are relative risks and attributable risks
What is a beta (type II) random error?
Where study concludes that something isn’t better, though in truth it is
What is an alpha (type I) random error?
Where a study concludes that something is better, though in truth it isn’t
What are systematic errors?
Biases in measurements which lead to a situation where the mean of many separate measurements differs significantly from the actual value of the measured attribute
What is selection bias?
A statistical bias where there is an error in choosing the individuals or groups to take part in a scientific study
What is exclusion bias?
Where particular groups are excluded from the sample
What is reporting bias?
The selective revealing or suppression of information by subjects, e.g. PMH, smoking
What is the difference between the number of people that die by suicide and those that die by RTA?
Twice as many people die by suicide than road accidents
In sociology, what four types of suicide were identified (Durkheim) and briefly explain each one?
Egoistic - self-centred (under integration)
Altruistic - for the good of others (over-integration)
Anomic - social isolation (under-regulation)
Fatalistic - no choice (over-regulation)
What is associated with suicide?
Drug and alcohol abuse Affective disorders Thought disorders Anxiety disorders Problems in social relationships Physical health problems
What are the typical features of a “completer” of suicide?
Tend to be older and male
Use lethal methods
Tend to die in first attempt
What are characteristic of an “attempter” of suicide?
More likely to be female
Seeking help
Use non-fatal methods, such as over-dose
What did Safinofsky (2005) show about “attempters” of suicide?
Overwhelming majority of attempters never kill themselves
What are the stages of change, set forth in the Stages of Change Model?
Precontemplation Contemplation Preparation Action Maintenances Relapse
What two countries have the highest rates of suicide?
Hungary and Finland
What is the suicide ratio of male to female?
3:1 (male:female)
Is suicide higher in younger or older people?
Younger people
What are the top three most common methods of suicide in men?
Hanging
Overdose
Carbon monoxide poisoning
What is the most common method of suicide in women?
Overdose
What are four chronic life difficulties that can lead to self-harm?
Health
Housing
Finance
Relationships
What percentage of ‘self-harmers’ commit suicide within 12 months and also within 8 years?
1-2% within 12 months
3% at 8 years
How common is repetition of deliberate self-harm, and when is it most likely to occur?
Approximately 15% self harm again
Most repeats happen in first 3 months following first episode
What are the three main issues that need to be assessed in patients following deliberate self-harm?
Immediate risk of suicide
Subsequent risk of further DSH or suicide
Any current medical or social problems
