Excess risk

Excess Risk is a term used in epidemiology to describe the additional risk that an individual or population is exposed to as a result of exposure to a certain factor or condition. This risk is often quantified in terms of relative risk or odds ratio.

Definition

Excess risk is defined as the difference in risk between those exposed to a certain factor or condition and those not exposed. It is a measure of the additional risk that can be attributed to the exposure. This can be calculated using the formula:

Excess Risk = Risk in Exposed - Risk in Unexposed

Applications

Excess risk is used in various fields of study, including public health, medicine, and epidemiology. It is often used to quantify the impact of exposure to certain risk factors on the incidence of disease in a population.

In public health, excess risk is used to identify populations at higher risk of disease and to prioritize interventions. In medicine, it is used to inform patient counseling and decision-making. In epidemiology, it is used to study the relationship between exposure and disease.

Limitations

While excess risk is a useful measure, it has several limitations. It assumes that the risk in the unexposed group is the baseline risk, which may not always be the case. It also assumes that the relationship between exposure and risk is linear, which may not be true for all exposures and diseases.

See Also

• Relative risk
• Odds ratio
• Risk factor
• Epidemiology
• Public health

Excess risk Resources
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