BIOL 1F25 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Socioeconomic Status, Web Portal
Document Summary
Epidemiology= study of factors that influence frequency & distribution of a disease. Requires good data on incidence & prevalence over time: incidence= # of new cases per year, prevalence= # of current cases. ~3-4 new cases/ year for people aged >60 years. 1. 56 times more frequent in men than women. Earlier publications had identified several possible risk factors: age, sex, race, smoking, occupation, exposure to heavy metals or other environmental toxins. Most of theses studies involved relatively small numbers of subjects (small samples) Web portal has survey module to assess possible risk. Some examples factors: age, sex, race, smoking, drinking, occupation, socio-economic status. Als is more prevalent in men than women. Als is highest between ages 60 & 79 years of age. Als is more prevalent in white people than african- americans: reason unknown. Living in rural environment appears to be a risk factor. Chances of having als may be doubled by living in rural environment.