Introduction to Epidemiology 6th Edition by Ray M Merrill

Exercise 6

What do the data in Figure 1 tell you about the latency period between smoking and lung cancer?

Figure 1 Lung cancer death rates and per capita cigarette consumption for males and females in the United States during the years 1900 through 2000. From United States Mortality Public Use Data Tapes 1960–2001,U.S.Mortality Volumes 1930–1959, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2002 (death rates). U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1900–2000 (cigarette consumption).

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In males by 1960 and in late 1980 among the females, the death rate because of lung cancer was found to be outpaced from the other cancers in the United States. Extensive research proved that the cancer was associated with cancer of lungs.

Increase in lung cancer then afterwards decrease in lung cancer was associated with smoking of cigarette in the United States and allowed a latency period of twenty to twenty-five days.

Fifth June 1981 was the day when the first case of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome was reported. The HIV or human immunodeficiency virus as a subgroup of retrovirus causes infection of HIV as well as after some time leads to AIDS or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.