Which study type is particularly appropriate for investigating diseases with long induction and latent periods?

Understand the Problem

The question is asking which type of study is best suited for researching diseases that have long periods before symptoms appear and may also have periods of latency between the onset of the disease and diagnosed cases.

More Information

Case-control studies are efficient for diseases with long induction and latent periods because they do not require following individuals over time. They start by identifying individuals with the disease and then look back to compare their exposures with those of unaffected individuals.

Tips

A common mistake is thinking cohort studies are always more appropriate, even though they often require longer timeframes and resources.

Sources

• Study Designs Revisited - open.oregonstate.education
• Observational Studies: Cohort and Case-Control Studies - PMC - NCBI - ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• Case-Control Studies - sph.bu.edu - sphweb.bumc.bu.edu