For most autoimmune diseases the prevalence of disease is greater than the incidence. What is the best explanation for the difference?
Question
For most autoimmune diseases the prevalence of disease is greater than the incidence. What is the best explanation for the difference?
Solution
The terms "prevalence" and "incidence" are used to describe the occurrence of a disease in a population.
-
Incidence refers to the number of new cases of a disease that develop in a given period of time.
-
Prevalence, on the other hand, refers to the total number of cases of the disease in the population at a given time. This includes both new and existing cases.
The reason why the prevalence of most autoimmune diseases is greater than the incidence is because autoimmune diseases are typically chronic conditions. Once a person develops an autoimmune disease, they usually have it for life. This means that the number of people living with the disease (prevalence) is generally higher than the number of new cases that develop each year (incidence).
In other words, the prevalence is high because people with the disease continue to be counted in the prevalence statistics year after year, while incidence only counts new cases.
Similar Questions
Which of the following is NOT an autoimmune disease?Multiple choice question.Anaphylactic shockLupus erythematosusMultiple sclerosisType I diabetes
All autoimmune diseases are caused strictly by environmental factors, such as viral infections.Group startsTrue or FalseTrue, unselectedFalse, unselectedGroup ends
Autoimmune disorders occur when the immune system fails to ______.Multiple choice question.recognize foreign antigens that cause illnessdistinguish self antigens from foreign antigensproduce antibodies in response to antigenrespond to an allergen
Which of the following is NOT involved in the development of autoimmune diseases?Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer.aType I hypersensitivitiesbType II hypersensitivitiescType III hypersensitivitiesdType IV hypersensitivities
What is the function of each of these genes, variants of which give increased risk for autoimmunity?
Upgrade your grade with Knowee
Get personalized homework help. Review tough concepts in more detail, or go deeper into your topic by exploring other relevant questions.