J curve phenomenon

J curve phenomenon

Epidemiology A relationship between the risk factors for, and mortality from, a particular process, such that, as a risk factor–eg, alcohol consumption-AC, blood pressure-BP, total cholesterol-TC ↑, so does mortality; in diseases with a JCP, there is a critical point below which the AC, BP, TC, etc, is too low and there is opposite trend, and↓ of risk factors below a critical point is associated with ↑ risk of morbidity and death. Cf U curve.

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.