Related topics: heart disease , risk
Risk factor
hideA risk factor is a variable associated with an increased risk of disease or infection. Risk factors are correlational and not necessarily causal, because correlation does not imply causation. For example, being young cannot be said to cause measles, but young people are more at risk as they are less likely to have developed immunity during a previous epidemic.
Risk factors are evaluated by comparing the risk of those exposed to the potential risk factor to those not exposed. Let's say that at a wedding, 74 people ate the chicken and 22 of them were ill, while of the 35 people who had the fish or vegetarian meal only 2 were ill. Did the chicken make the people ill?
So the chicken eaters' risk = 22/74 = 0.297 And non-chicken eaters' risk = 2/35 = 0.057.
Those who ate the chicken had a risk over five times as high as those who did not, suggesting that eating chicken was the cause of the illness. Note, however, that this is not proof. Statistical methods would be used in a less clear cut case to decide what level of risk the risk factor would have to present to be able to say the risk factor is linked to the disease (for example in a study of the link between smoking and lung cancer). Even then, no amount of statistical analysis could prove that the risk factor causes the disease; this could only be proven using direct methods such as a medical explanation of the disease's roots.
The earliest use of risk factor analysis dates back to Avicenna's The Canon of Medicine (1020s), though the term "risk factor" was first coined by heart researcher Dr. Thomas R. Dawber in a landmark scientific paper in 1961, where he attributed heart disease to specific conditions (blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking).
For more information about Risk factor, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with risk factors
Smoking remains potent risk factor for death from heart disease, cancer
Nov 23, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Smoking persists as a major risk factor for death from heart disease and cancer in adults who already have heart disease and receive good medical therapy, according to research reported in Circulation: Jo ...
Deepening the search for clues to rheumatoid arthritis
Nov 09, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The gnawing pain of rheumatoid arthritis is a signal that the body’s immune system has hit the wrong target: its own cartilage and bone.
ACC/AHA revised guidelines for the perioperative use of beta blockers to minimize cardiac risk
Nov 02, 2009 |
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Cardiac complications around the time of noncardiac surgery are relatively common and can be serious. The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) today release a Focused Update to the ...
Gastroenterologists explore relationship between bacteria in the gut and breast cancer
Oct 28, 2009 |
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The human body contains billions of microorganisms, and microbial cells found in the human gut are estimated to outnumber human cells by ten-to-one in healthy adults. However, little is known about the ways in which these ...
Increased stroke risk from birth control pills
Medicine & Health / Medications
Oct 26, 2009 |
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She was only 30 years old, but she was experiencing the classic symptoms of a stroke. Her speech suddenly became slurred, and her left hand became clumsy while eating.
Obesity may hinder optimal control of blood pressure and cholesterol
Oct 26, 2009 |
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Obese patients taking medications to lower their blood pressure and cholesterol levels are less likely to reach recommended targets for these cardiovascular disease risk factors than their normal weight counterparts, according ...
Improved diet and exercise alone unlikely to cure obstructive sleep apnea in obese patients
Oct 15, 2009 |
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A study in the Oct. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that while a strict diet and exercise program may benefit obese patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), it is unlikely to eli ...
Hunters: Don't let buck fever be a heart hazard
Oct 07, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Each year during hunting season, some hunters fall prey to heart attack. Dr. Paula Miller, a cardiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, explains what hunters can do to prevent this.
Americans concerned about heart health, but not proactive enough to prevent it
Oct 05, 2009 |
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To help draw attention to National Child Health Day (today), the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA) has released findings from a new national consumer survey and launched a campaign to educate families about ...
Trends in Childhood Obesity Bode Poorly for Country's Future Health (w/ Video)
Sep 10, 2009 |
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Two recent University of Rochester Medical Center studies point out alarming trends in childhood obesity ? not only is the group of severely obese children getting larger, but parents don?t even see it.
Men with angina at twice the risk of heart attack and death compared with women
Aug 07, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Men with angina are twice as likely to have a heart attack and almost three times as likely to suffer a heart disease-related death than women with the same condition, finds a study published on bmj.com today ...
High calcium level in arteries may signal serious heart attack risk
Jul 28, 2009 |
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Researchers may be able to predict future severe cardiac events in patients with known, stable coronary artery disease (CAD) using coronary calcium scoring, according to a study published in the online edition of Radiology.
Intensive glucose control halves complications of longstanding type 1 diabetes
Jul 27, 2009 |
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Near-normal control of glucose beginning as soon as possible after diagnosis would greatly improve the long-term prognosis of type 1 diabetes, concludes a study published in the July 27, 2009, issue of the Archives of In ...
Study reveals major genetic differences between blood and tissue cells
Jul 15, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Research by a group of Montreal scientists calls into question one of the most basic assumptions of human genetics: that when it comes to DNA, every cell in the body is essentially identical ...
Viewing child porn not a risk factor for future sex offenses: study
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Jul 14, 2009 |
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For people without a prior conviction for a hands-on sex offense, the consumption of child pornography alone does not, in itself, seem to represent a risk factor for committing such an offense. Researchers writing in the ...
