During an outbreak of disease X in a town, 400 people developed the illness and 200 of them died. During the same year, all-cause deaths in the town numbered 5000. An examiner asks you to calculate what proportion of affected individuals died of the disease. Which measure does the value of 50 percent represent?
- A Case fatality rate ✓
- B Proportionate mortality ratio
- C Cause-specific death rate
- D Standardized mortality ratio
Correct answer: A. Case fatality rate
Explanation
The case fatality rate is the number of deaths from a disease divided by the number of diagnosed cases of that disease, here 200 of 400, that is 50 percent. It measures the virulence or killing power of the disease among those who develop it. The proportionate mortality ratio would instead divide deaths from disease X by all deaths (4000 by 5000 would give a different figure), and the cause-specific death rate uses the total population as denominator.
Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 25th ed.
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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.