Disease Knowledge Centres

  • Preventive Medicine - Disease Topic Overview

    Preventive medicine is the branch of medicine that aims to prevent the appearance, the aggravation or the extension of disease at individual and collective levels.1

    Preventive medicine has four components; disease prevention, screening, epidemiology and health education.2 It gives advice (cleanliness, diet, and physical activity), educates people about risk behaviors (smoking and alcohol) and sets up monitoring and screening campaigns (cancer and hypertension).2 This discipline has developed since the end of the 19th century, following numerous discoveries in bacteriology and immunology.1

    The first collective actions of preventive medicine have been implemented following the study of contagion and the effect of public health measures.1 Discovery of vaccines reduced the incidence of infectious diseases.1 Development of immunisation programmes has significantly reduced the prevalence of infectious diseases, and in case of smallpox3, led to a complete eradication. Current programs to vaccinate children, including MMR and DTaP/IPV/Hib, have undoubtedly reduced healthcare costs.4 However, preventive medicine is not confined to infectious diseases.

    Screening programs for hypertension and cancer (breast, prostate, cervical cancer) also play an important role in improving the prognosis of diseases. The European guidelines on cervical cancer screening suggest that women should be screened at least every three years.5 This has seen significant reductions in mortality rates in the 19 member states in which screening has been successfully implemented.5

    The combination of screening and information on risk factors (smoking, obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia) is crucial in preventing diseases like diabetes, stroke and coronary heart disease. EUROASPIRE studies have shown a reduction of hypertension in patients at high cardiovascular risk. However, there has been an increase in smoking and obesity in these patients.6 The change in patient behavior can be achieved only through an effective and patient-centered education. Ethically as well as economically, preventive medicine should be a priority.2

    1. Dhaar G.M. et al. Foundation of community medicine. Elsevier. 2nd edition. 2008 : 812 pages.
    2. Lazorthes G. Sciences humaines et sociales: l'homme, la société et la médecine. Elsevier Masson. 6ème édition. 2000 : 387.
    3. Henderson D.A. Encyclopedia of Microbiology Smallpox, Historical. Elsevier Inc. Third Edition. 2009 ; 73-79.
    4. Szucs T. Cost-benefits of vaccination programmes. Vaccine. February 2000 ; 18 (18-1) : S49-51.
    5. Anttila A. et al. Description of the National Situation of Cervical Cancer Screening in the Member States of the European Union. European Journal of Cancer. October 2009 ; 45 (15) : 2685-2708.
    6. Kotseva K. et al. Cardiovascular prevention guidelines in daily practice: a comparison of EUROASPIRE I, II, and III surveys in eight European countries. The Lancet. March 2009 ; 373 (9667) : 929-940.

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The Benefits of CT Screening for Lung Cancer

Preventive Medicine Drug Data - A-Z English


Latest Drug News

Pradaxa(Boehringer) risk of Myocardial Infarction and Acute Coronary Syndrome - 13-01-2012
Pradaxa/Rendix (dabigatran etexilate), from Boehringer, is associated with an increased risk of Myocardial Infarction (MI) or Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) in a broad spectrum of patients when tested against some other medicines, according to a study published by the Archives of Internal Medicine. The meta-analysis of 7 studies, with 30,514 participants, Ken Uchino and Adrian V. Hernandez of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio found that the drug was significantly associated with a higher risk of MI or ACS than that seen with agents used in the control group (Pradaxa/Rendix, 237 events of 20,000 [1.19 percent] vs. control, 83 events of 10,514 [0.79 percent]). The overall benefit and risk balance of Pradaxa/Rendix use appears to be favorable in patients with Atrial Fibrillation because of reduction in ischemic stroke. However, the cardiac risk of Pradaxa/Rendix should be investigated further, especially if it is used in populations at high risk of MI or ACS, the authors conclude. see Dabigatran Association With Higher Risk of Acute Coronary Events Meta-analysis of Noninferiority Randomized Controlled Trials Ken Uchino, MD; Adrian V. Hernandez, MD, PhD Arch Intern Med. Published online January 9, 2012. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2011.1666
FDA accepts for review Eliquis (BMS/Pfizer) for Stroke Prevention associated with Atrial Fibrillation - 29-11-2011
The FDA has accepted for review a New Drug Application for Eliquis (apixaban) from BMS/Pfizer,an investigational compound for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation. The FDA accepted the filing and assigned a priority-review designation. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date for a decision by the FDA is March 28, 2012. An application for Eliquis for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation has been validated for review by the European Medicines Agency. The submissions were based on the results of the ARISTOTLE and AVERROES studies, two Phase 3 trials that evaluated the efficacy and safety of ELIQUIS for the prevention of stroke or systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation. These two trials, which included

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Latest Clinical Trials

Study of Immune Responses After Vaccination Against Seasonal Influenza Virus and Against Influenza H1N1-v Pandemic Virus in a Medical Staff. (FLU-HOP)
This project may help to answer several fundamental questions related to public health regarding vaccination against influenza viruses and regarding the influenza A(H1N1)v pandemy: What is the immunologic efficacy in terms of antibodies response of the vaccination against the seasonal (2009-2010) influenza virus and against the A(H1N1)v virus in the clinical staff?
School Influenza Vaccine vs Standard of Care With Nested Trial of 2 Parent Notification Intensities (MCSkipp)
The purpose of the project is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and cost effectiveness of providing influenza vaccine in schools to children in grades Kindergarten through 6th grade.

Latest Journal Publications

Immunology Letters
Genetic adjuvants have potential role in improvement of immune responses against DNA vaccines. GM-CSF as a genetic adjuvant can recruit and augment dendritic cell numbers in the site of immune responses and thereby induce cellular and humoral immune responses. Here we show that co-immunization of a DNA vaccine from HIV-1P24-Nef with GM-CSF in DNA priming and peptide boost strategy increases the immunogenicity of our candidate vaccine. Analysis of immune response shows that co-immunization with GM-CSF boosts cellular immune responses through increasing proliferation activity and CTL function. Results of cytokine profile studies show that both IL-4 and IFN-γ levels were augmented. Also, co-immunization with GM-CSF resulted in a higher level of total IgG, comprising approximately equal levels of both specific IgG1 and IgG2a subtypes. Monitoring of cellular and humoral immune responses for 20 weeks after final immunization revealed the aptitude of GM-CSF for inducing long-lived humoral and cell mediated immune responses. Overall, our results suggest that GM-CSF is able to induce long term memory for the HIV-1 P24-Nef vaccine candidate while the exact mechanisms involved remained to be clarified.
Journal of aging research
The purpose of preventive home visits is to promote overall health and wellbeing in old age. The aim of this paper was to describe the process of the development of evidence-based preventive home visits, targeting independent community-living older persons. The evidence base was generated from published studies and practical experiences. The results demonstrate that preventive home visits should be directed to persons 80 years old and older and involve various professional competences. The visits should be personalized, lead to concrete interventions, and be followed up. The health areas assessed should derive from a broad perspective and include social, psychological, and medical aspects. Core components in the protocol developed in this study captured physical, medical, psychosocial, and environmental aspects. Results of a pilot study showed that the protocol validly identified health risks among older people with different levels of ADL dependence.

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Preventive Medicine