Question

The natural history of disease refers to the progression of a disease process in an individual over time, in the absence of treatment. Describe the natural history of disease by creating a timeline below. Be sure to include the stages from susceptibility to recovery, disability, or death. Include arrows for where primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention type interventions would be most effective.

Answer 1

Stages of Natural history of disease:

1. Susceptibility

2. Sub clinical

3. Clinical

4. Recovery, Disability and death

Susceptibility:

Risk factors and disease in the population.

Sub clinical:

Exposure of risk in the individual, disease and early pathogenic change.

Clinical:

Signs and symptoms noted in individuals.

Recovery:

patient condition is improved, signs and symptoms are reduced, patient comes out of disease. These are indicates recovery from disease.

Disability:

Its a continuing condition that restrict everyday activities.

Here patient may have psychological, cognitive, physical, intellectual impairment.

Death:

Death occur due to exerbation of disease.

Primary prevention:

1.Preventing onset of disease and reducing the incidence of disease. Its achieved through health education increase the healthy behavior and reducing risk factors for diseases.

2. Primary prevention applied at susceptibility level.

Secondary prevention:

1. Secondary prevention applied after developing disease, that is early diagnosis and treatment.

2. Secondary prevention applied at sub clinical level

Tertiary prevention:.

1. Tertiary prevention focus on improving quality of life and reducing deformity.

2. Tertiary prevention applied at clinical stage, recovery stage and disability level.