[Risk factors and the issue of the boundary between the normal and the pathological: an epistemological analysis]

Abstract

The fact that numerous risk factors are continuous raises the problem of the boundary between the normal and the pathological states. Moreover, a risk factor approach to disease deeply calls into question the relevance of these concepts. In this paper, I propose an epistemological analysis of the notion of "continuity" as it is used in the context of "risk factor epidemiology".