Good points Cristian and Christian,
So maybe we should distinguish between factors (causal) and markers.
Hence there would be:
1. risk factors such as blood pressure, smoking and BrCa1
2. risk markers such as an ear lobe crease
3. prognostic factors such as smoking
4. prognostic markers such as Gleeson score
This is a conceptual distinction as it is often difficult to tell if
something is a causal factor or a marker
(Hence the Bradford-Hill guidelines)
Cheers
Paul Glasziou
Cristian Baicus wrote:
> A risk factor is always a causal factor, while a prognostic factor has
> only
> to be associated with a prognosis, not necessary to cause it; it can
> be only
> a "marker" of that prognosis (so it can be a ... confounder, too).
>
> cristian baicus
>
> dr. Cristian Baicus
> Spitalul Colentina
> Clinica de Medicina Interna
> Sos. Stefan cel Mare 19-21
> sect. 2
> 020125 BUCURESTI
> Romania
> Mobil: 0788302355
> [log in to unmask]
> www.baicus.ro
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Christian Lerch" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Monday, September 15, 2008 11:39 AM
> Subject: Re: Examples of risk factors vs prognostic factors
>
>
>> 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
>>>
>>>
> dr. Cristian Baicus
> Spitalul Colentina
> Clinica de Medicina Interna
> Sos. Stefan cel Mare 19-21
> sect. 2
> 020125 BUCURESTI
> Romania
> Mobil: 0788302355
> [log in to unmask]
> www.baicus.ro
--
Paul Glasziou
Director, Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine,
Department of Primary Health Care,
University of Oxford www.cebm.net
ph - +44-1865-289298 fax +44-1865-289287
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