Cumulative incidence
Overview
Cumulative incidence (sometimes referred to as incidence proportion) is a measure of disease frequency which counts the proportion of a candidate population that becomes diseased/develops disease over a specified period of time. Cumulative incidence measures occurrence of new cases of disease. It involves the transition from one state to another, such as non-disease to diseased state (incidence of disease) or diseased to non-diseased (incidence of cure).
Types of Cumulative Incidence Calculations
Specific forms of cumulative incidence include:
- Crude mortality rate: number of deaths due to any cause/100,000 population during a specified time period
- Infant mortality rate: number of infant deaths due to any cause/1,000 population during a specified time period
- Morbidity rate: number of illnesses due to any cause/1,000 population during a specified time period
- Live birth rate: number of live births/1,000 population or childbearing women during a specified time period
- Case fatality rate: number of deaths due to disease X/number of people with disease X during a specified time period
- Attack rate: number of new cases of disease/number population at risk at beginning of time period during specified time period
Calculating Cumulative Incidence
It may also be calculated by the incidence rate multiplied by duration.
Basic equation: Cumulative Incidence = # new (incident) cases/total population at risk
Applied: CI = IRi * ti (where IRi is the incidence rate, ti is the specified time period)