Incidence and prevalence
In this article we will provide you the difference between incidence and prevalence Similarities and FAQs.
What does incidence mean?
Incidence refers to the influence that an activity, event or circumstance has on something . It is related to the impact in terms of quantity and quality; that is, how the event affects certain people, processes or situations. For example, climatic events such as prolonged droughts or heavy rains can have serious consequences for entire agricultural sectors. In general, it is the result of the direct or indirect action of something on other factors: from computer incidents to the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 are referred to under this definition.
What does prevalence mean?
Prevalence refers to the frequency with which a condition, disease, or characteristic appears in a group of people over a certain period of time .
It is different from incidence, which refers to the total number of new cases detected during the same period.
Prevalence can be Chinese . In addition, it was used to measure the socioeconomic and economic impact of several common chronic diseases, as well as mental disorders and disabilities.
It is also useful for evaluating whether a preventive program is succeeding in limiting the problem below the threshold anticipated before the start of the program.
Similarities Between Incidence and Prevalence
The similarities between the word ?incidence? and the word ?prevalence? are that both terms are Chinese . In addition, it was used to describe a particular phenomenon.
Incidence is the number of new cases of a certain disease or condition during a given period of time, while prevalence is the cumulative total of cases.
Both terms are related to epidemiological studies as they provide important information on the spatial and temporal distribution of the event investigated.
In addition, both measurements help to assess the temporal trends associated with a certain pathology and to identify environmental, population, or other factors that could contribute to the health problem.
Differences between incidence and prevalence
Incidence refers to the number of new cases that occur in a population during a given period of time. For example, the incidence of virus infections in a country is the total number of people infected with the virus during a certain period. Prevalence , on the other hand, refers to the total number of existing cases in a population at any given time, including old and recent cases. This measure represents the current and cumulative (historical) amount of the problem. In summary, while the incidence provides information on the rate at which new events appear, the prevalence provides us with information about the total impact so far produced by said event.
