A common (?) view is that risk factors alter (usually increase) the probability of developing or aquiring a disease, while prognostic factors alter (usually increase) the probability of having an unfavourabale outcome of this disease: death, higher morbidity, more adverse effects, recurrence...
Some risk factors are also prognostic factors.
Examples:
Presence of BRCA1/2 is a risk factor because it increases the probability of developing breast cancer.
Higher number of affected lymph nodes is a prognostic factor because it increases the probability of having an unfavourable outcome (death).
Age might be both a risk and a prognostic factor.
HTH,
Christian
On Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:55:56 -0400
"Feddern-Bekcan, Tanya" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hello, everyone. Could you please give me some examples of risk factors
> and prognostic factors and how to differentiate between the two? For
> example, having the breast cancer gene, having a family history of
> breast cancer, being a heavy smoker, etc. This is for PICO-writing.
>
>
>
> Thank you,
>
>
> Tanya
>
> Tanya Feddern-Bekcan, MLIS, AHIP, MOT, OTR/L
> http://www.geocities.com/nqiya/libraryarticles.html
> <http://www.geocities.com/nqiya/libraryarticles.html> formerly Tanya
> Feddern
> 305.243.6648 - [log in to unmask] - 305.325.9670 (fax) EBM Theme
> Co-Director & Reference and Education Librarian Louis Calder Memorial
> Library - University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
>
> "A library without a librarian is a reading room."-- Jenny Garcia of the
> University of Wyoming, MLS, AHIP
>
>
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