CRM/LAW C7 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Cohort Study, Relative Risk, Odds Ratio
26 May 2016
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Document Summary
Epidemiology: the study of the distribution and determinants of disease frequency in human populations. Must define a disease in a clear way so that there are no doubts. Working out a case definition is not always simple & may be the most important part of the investigation (especially for new diseases) Measuring disease frequency is necessary to count the number of cases and to relate that number to the size of the population being studied, yielding a rate. Two kinds of frequency measures used: incidence rates and prevalence rates. Rate of new cases of a disease in a defined population over a defined period of time. Ascertained by counting cases and reporting to health centers (for notifiable diseases) Measures the probability that a healthy person in a given population will develop the disease during that period of time. Total number of cases existing in a defined population at a specific time.
