American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Certification Practice Exam

What studies compare outcomes of patients with a disease to those without a disease?

1. Cohort studies

2. Case-control studies

3. Cross-sectional studies

4. Randomized controlled trials

The correct answer is: Case-control studies

Case-control studies are specifically designed to compare individuals who have a particular disease or condition (cases) with those who do not have the disease (controls). This type of study allows researchers to look back retrospectively at exposure to risk factors or potential causes to determine if there is an association between those exposures and the development of the disease. In a case-control study, researchers start with the outcome (the presence or absence of the disease) and then look back to identify the exposure status of the participants. This approach is particularly useful for studying rare diseases, as it enables researchers to gather a sufficient number of cases without needing to follow a large population over time. The other study types serve different purposes: cohort studies typically follow participants over time to see who develops the disease based on their exposures, cross-sectional studies assess the prevalence of a disease at a specific point in time without establishing a cause and effect relationship, and randomized controlled trials are experimental studies designed to test the efficacy of interventions rather than comparing disease status.