Fatality rate

Fatality rate
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Specialty	Medical specialty associated with the term
Synonyms	Case fatality rate (CFR)
Pronunciation	Phonetic spelling or audio file
Definition	Definition of the medical term
Causes	Common causes or associated conditions
Diagnosis	Methods for identifying the term in clinical practice
Treatment	Treatment or management options
Related terms	Other related medical terms
Website	[ More information]

The fatality rate, often referred to as the case fatality rate (CFR), is a measure used in epidemiology to assess the severity of a disease by calculating the proportion of deaths from a certain disease compared to the total number of people diagnosed with the disease for a certain period of time. It is expressed as a percentage and is a crucial metric in understanding the impact of infectious diseases, chronic conditions, and other health-related events.

Calculation

The fatality rate is calculated using the following formula:

\[ \text{CFR} = \left( \frac{\text{Number of deaths due to the disease}}{\text{Number of confirmed cases of the disease}} \right) \times 100 \]

This formula provides a percentage that represents the likelihood of death from the disease among those diagnosed.

Interpretation

The fatality rate is an important indicator of the lethality of a disease. A high CFR indicates a more deadly disease, while a low CFR suggests a less lethal condition. However, the CFR can be influenced by several factors, including:

• Healthcare quality: Access to and quality of healthcare can significantly affect the CFR, as better healthcare can reduce mortality.
• Demographics: Age, sex, and underlying health conditions of the population can influence the CFR.
• Disease surveillance and reporting: Accurate and timely reporting of cases and deaths is essential for reliable CFR calculations.

Examples

Different diseases have varying CFRs. For instance:

• Ebola virus disease has a high CFR, often exceeding 50% in some outbreaks.
• Influenza typically has a low CFR, often less than 0.1%.
• COVID-19 has a variable CFR depending on factors such as age, comorbidities, and healthcare system capacity.

Limitations

The CFR has limitations and should be interpreted with caution:

• Underreporting: If cases are underreported, the CFR may be artificially high.
• Time lag: The CFR can change over time as more data becomes available and as the outbreak progresses.
• Population differences: Variations in population health and healthcare systems can affect the CFR.

Also see

• Mortality rate
• Infection fatality rate
• Epidemiology
• Public health