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Introduction To Epidemiology-3

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56 views24 pages

Introduction To Epidemiology-3

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Introduction to the

Epidemiology
EPI DEMOS LOGOS
Upon People Study

The study of anything that


happens to people
Epidemiology is
The dynamic study of the determinants,
occurrence, distribution, control and
prevention of health and disease in a
population
Epidemiology is

The study the patterns of disease


occurrence
Epidemiology

Identifies the risk factors


Epidemiology

defines the relationship of disease


to the population at risk
Clinician Epidemiologist
Patient’s diagnostician Community’s diagnostician
Hx, P.E., Lab. – (PT) Hx, P.E., Lab. – (PTS)
Diagnosis Predict trend
Therapy Control
Cure Prevention
Uses of Epidemiology
• Describes health events
• Identify cause of disease
• Identify risk factors
• Describe the clinical pattern of disease
• Identify control and/or preventive measures
Kinds of Epidemiology
• Descriptive
• Analytic
• Experimental
Descriptive Epidemiology is the Antecedent
to Analytical Epidemiology
• It is require information to ….

• know where to look


• know what to control
• for develop viable hypotheses
Three essential characteristics of
disease that we look for in
descriptive studies are...

• Person
• Place
• Time
Person

• Age, sex, ethnicity


• Genetic predisposition
• Concurrent disease
• Diet, exercise, smoking
• Risk taking behavior
• SES, education, occupation
Place
• Geographic place
– presence of agents or vectors
– climate
– geology
– population density
– economic development
– nutritional practices
– medical practices
Time

• Calendar Time
• Time since an event
• Physiologic cycles
• Age (time since birth)
• Seasonality
• Temporal trends
Example

• You have been asked to investigate an


event in which 2,220 people were exposed
and 1,520 of them died.
• Your role as an epidemiologist is to ask
questions about person, place and time.
How do we ask questions?

Surveys
-of survivors
-of next-of-kin
-of other related persons
with questions you learn that ...
• Person: Men, women and children were all
exposed and at risk. The majority of people
who died were wealthy and young men
between 18-50 years (when compared to
survivors).
• Place: All those exposed were within 1 block of
one another
• Time: Mid April, people died within hours of
the precipitating exposure.
Three essential characteristics that are
examined to study the cause(s) for disease in
analytic epidemiology are...

• Host
• Agent
• Environment
Epidemiologic Homeostasis
Host

Agent Environment
The Epidemiologic Triangle

Host
Host Factors
Personal traits
behaviors
genetic predisposition
Agent Environment immunologic factors

• Influence the chance


for disease or its severity
The Epidemiologic Triangle

Host
Agents
Biological
Physical
Chemical
Agent Environment

• Necessary for
disease to occur
The Epidemiologic Triangle

Host
Environment
External conditions
Physical or biologic
or social
Agent Environment

• Contribute to the
disease process
Epidemics arise when host, agent, and
environmental factors are not in balance
• Due to new agent
• Due to change in existing agent (infectivity,
pathogenicity, virulence)
• Due to change in number of susceptibles in
the population
• Due to environmental changes that affect
transmission of the agent or growth of the
agent
Thank you

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