Environmental factor

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In epidemiology, environmental factors are those determinants of disease that are not transmitted genetically. Apart from the true monogenic genetic disorders, environmental factors may determine the development of disease in those genetically predisposed to a particular condition. Diet, tobacco smoking, exposure to toxins, sunlight, pathogens or radiation are common environmental factors that determine a large segment of non-hereditary disease.

If a disease process is concluded to be the result of a combination of genetic and environmental factor influences, its etiological origin can be referred to as having a multifactorial pattern.

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