Definition: The percentage of the population (or a certain group of people) that have a specific disorder at any given point in time. Researchers may use the term current prevalence to describe the percentage of people who currently have a diagnosis and the term lifetime prevalence to describe the percentage of people who have had the diagnosis at some point in their life.
Prevalence
By Matthew Tull, PhD, About.com Guide
Updated: January 26, 2009
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board
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