Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) Is an Important Consideration

question 12

Essay

Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) is an important consideration when assessing the harm or damage that a drug inflicts on its users and the users' peers. Weigh the relative harm that tobacco and alcohol inflict, in the light of YPLL. Do the same for the legal drugs versus the illegal drugs. Does the factor of YPLL significantly change our previous estimates of the picture of drug harm?

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Definitions:

Inflammatory Response

Tissue response to injury that is characterized by redness, swelling, pain, and heat.

Inflammation

The body’s immune response to infection or injury, characterized by redness, heat, swelling, and pain.

Receptor Molecules

Molecules on the surface of or within cells that bind to specific substances and trigger a specific cellular response.

Plasma Cells

A type of white blood cell that produces antibodies in response to an infection, thus playing a crucial role in the immune response.