Health and disease
A framework for thinking about disease, prevention, screening, and quality-of-life outcomes.
Health and disease risks
Health risk is shaped by three major factors: exposure (what you encounter), susceptibility (your biology and existing conditions), and systems (prevention and timely treatment).
Exposure
Diet, activity, air quality, infections, work hazards, alcohol, tobacco.
Susceptibility
Age, genetics, pregnancy, immune status, chronic disease, medications.
Systems
Vaccines, screening, primary care, emergency response, ICU capacity.
Mortality vs morbidity
Some conditions are more likely to kill (mortality risk). Others are more likely to disable or reduce quality of life (morbidity risk). Both matter, and people value them differently.
Screening and prevention
- What is my baseline risk for this disease at my age and with my risk factors?
- What does screening reduce: death, severe disability, or mainly earlier detection?
- What are the harms: false positives, invasive follow-up, overdiagnosis?
This page is a framework; specific numbers depend on the disease and your personal context.