Spectrum Of Disease And The Iceberg Phenomenon Epidemiology kept simple b. gerstman. the spectrum of disease and the iceberg phenomenon. the spectrum of disease refers to the range of manifestations and severities of illness associated with a given diseases, illnesses, or injury. for example, hiv infection has broad clinical spectrum, from inapparent* to severe and fulminating**. The "iceberg phenomenon of disease" theory explains how an illness progresses from its preclinical stages to its overt or apparent state. the submerged portion of the iceberg represents the hidden mass of the disease, which consists of carriers, unidentified cases, and subclinical cases.
Spectrum Of Disease And The Iceberg Phenomenon The key to the iceberg effect is the disease's incubation period, the time between infection and the first symptoms of illness. incubation periods can vary widely by disease. for example, the median incubation period for hiv is about 10 years, while anthrax has a median incubation period of 11 days. brookmeyer, phd, professor, biostatistics. This refers to early detection and prompt intervention to control disease and minimize disability. the “iceberg phenomenon” is relevant here, referring to a common situation where only a relatively small proportion of cases, the “tip of the iceberg,” comes to the attention of the health care system. Because the spectrum of disease can include asymptomatic and mild cases, the cases of illness diagnosed by clinicians in the community often represent only the tip of the iceberg. many additional cases may be too early to diagnose or may never progress to the clinical stage. Spectrum of disease •at one end are subclinical infections which are not ordinarily identified and at the other end are fatal illnesses. •in the middle of the spectrum lie illnesses ranging in severity from mild to severe. •in infectious diseases, the spectrum of disease is also referred to as the “gradient of infection”. cont’d 3.
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