Reference no: EM133456418
Case Study: Achalasia is a rare disorder that impairs the ability of the body to push down food to the stomach. In the United States in 2018, around 10 people per 100,000 individuals were affected, with 1.6 new cases per 100,000 individuals annually. Only a few risk factors for this disease have been previously identified. A student researcher is interested in studying the association between a diet high in saturated fats and achalasia, and reaches out to you for advice in designing the study. From the literature, the student came across a study that analyzed per capita (population) saturated fat intake and the number of cases of achalasia per 100,000 people in each of the states in the United States, and found a positive correlation. The student decided to conduct a different type of study to examine this relationship. Because the student wants to develop the most accurate study design possible, they proposed randomizing 1,000 participants to either a high saturated fat or a diet low in saturated fats. A diet high in saturated fats has been shown to increase the risk of other diseases like heart disease.
Questions:
From the information above, what is the prevalence of achalasia in 2018 in the United States?
From the information above, what is the cumulative incidence over 1 year?
What is the exposure the student is interested in studying?
What is the outcome?
What type of study did the student read about? Explain why you came to that conclusion
Based on the positive correlation between the per capita consumption of fat and cases of achalasia, does this mean that individuals who consume fat are more likely to develop achalasia? Why or why not?
What type of study is the student proposing? Explain why you came to that conclusion
What were the proposed treatments?
Is the proposed study design ethical? Why or why not?
What are 2 advantages of this type of study?
What are two disadvantages of this type of study?
Assume you advised the student to conduct a prospective cohort study. Could existing cases of achalasia be part of the study population? Why or why not?
If people left the study prior to the end of the study, would cumulative incidence be an appropriate measure? Why or why not?
What would be one disadvantage of this study design as it relates to studying achalasia?