prevalence

Prevalence refers to the total number of cases of a particular condition or disease that exist within a specific population at a given point in time or over a certain period. It helps us understand how common or widespread the condition is in that group. For example, if a survey finds that 1,000 people out of 10,000 have a certain health issue, the prevalence is 10%. It differs from incidence, which measures new cases over time. Prevalence provides a snapshot of the overall burden of a condition in a population at a specific time.