title: [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".
authors.affiliation: Faculté de philosophie, université Jean-Moulin Lyon 3, 1, rue de l'Université, 69008 Lyon, France. elodie.giroux@univ-lyon3.fr
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giroux
mesh_terms: D004194:Disease; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors