Lincidenza

Lincidenza is not a standard term in Italian; in most contexts it is likely a misspelling of incidenza, which denotes incidence. In genetics-related discussions, the acronym LINC is sometimes used for long intergenic non-coding RNAs, but this usage is unrelated to the linguistic term incidenza. Therefore, lincidenza does not have a widely accepted definition in the Italian scientific or academic lexicon.

In epidemiology, incidence refers to the occurrence of new cases of a disease or condition in a defined population over a specified period. It is a measure of risk and is distinct from prevalence, which counts all existing cases at a point in time. Incidence can be expressed in different forms: incidence proportion (cumulative incidence), which is the fraction of the at-risk population that develops the condition during the period, and incidence rate (incidence density), which uses person-time at risk as the denominator.

Calculations typically follow these forms: incidence proportion = new cases during the period divided by the population at risk at the start; incidence rate = new cases divided by the total person-time of observation. These measures require accurate data on new cases, population at risk, and, for incidence rate, the time each person is observed.

Applications of incidence data include assessing disease risk, detecting trends, guiding public health interventions, and evaluating preventive measures. Limitations arise from underreporting, differences in case definitions, measurement bias, and variations in population at risk over time.

See also: prevalence, risk, epidemiology, surveillance. Note: if a term appears as lincidenza in a text, it is advisable to check whether the intended word is incidenza, or whether the context refers to a specialized concept such as LINC RNAs in genetics, which is unrelated to the Italian notion of incidence.