Prevalence refers to which of the following?

• A. The number of new cases per population at risk per time
• B. The death rate
• C. The number of cases of an illness overall, whether new or chronic
• D. The incidence of a disease in a specific group

Answer: (C)

Prevalence tells you how widespread a condition is in a population at a given moment by counting all people who have the condition, whether they were diagnosed recently or have it chronically. It’s the total number of existing cases divided by the population, often expressed as a proportion or rate (point prevalence at a moment, or period prevalence over a time span). This differs from incidence, which only counts new cases developing over a time period. So the best description is the total number of cases present, including both new and existing ones. It’s not the death rate, and it isn’t about new cases in a specific group.