Disease Basics
An infection that results in both objective signs and subjective symptoms
What is a disease?
An infection in which the agent is continuously present and detectable.
What is a chronic infection?
The extent to which a member of a population can resist infection.
What is susceptibility?
The number of existing cases of disease in a given population.
What is prevalence?
The rate of disease in a population.
What is morbidity?
A disease that primarily affects individuals with weakened or damaged immune systems.
What is an opportunistic disease?
An infection in which the agent is present but remains dormant before reactivation.
What is a latent infection?
A member of a population who is at risk of becoming infected.
What is a susceptible individual?
The number of existing cases of disease at a specific point in time.
What is point prevalence?
The rate of death in a population.
What is mortality?
An infection acquired by a patient while receiving treatment in a hospital.
What is a nosocomial disease?
The time between exposure to a disease agent and the appearance of symptoms.
What is the incubation period?
When enough people in a population are immune, indirectly protecting those who are not.
What is herd immunity?
The total number of cases of disease over a specified time period.
What is period prevalence?
The rate of death due to a disease among only those who have the disease.
What is the case fatality rate?
An illness caused by medical treatment, procedures, or medication.
What is an iatrogenic disease?
The time between exposure to a pathogen and when infection actually occurs.
What is the latent period?
Any factor—biological, social, or environmental—that brings about change in a health condition.
What is a determinant?
The rate of new cases of disease in a population over time.
What is incidence?
The property of a pathogen that determines how severe the disease will be.
What is virulence?
The scientific study and diagnosis of disease and injury.
What is pathology?
A person who shows no signs or symptoms but is infected and capable of spreading disease.
What is asymptomatic?
The proportion of exposed individuals who become infected
What is infectivity?
A measure that compares the incidence of disease in an exposed group to the incidence in an unexposed group to determine the strength of an association.
What is relative risk?
The first identified case of a disease in a specific setting.
What is the index case?