General Clinical Terms & Symptoms

Risk factor

What does Risk factor mean?

A characteristic or exposure associated with a higher probability of developing a disease.

U.S. National Library of Medicine
Understanding Medical Words ↗ National Cancer Institute
Cancer Terms Dictionary ↗ CDC
Vaccine Glossary ↗

This is a plain-language Healthway explanation, not an individual diagnosis. The meaning of a term can change with the clinical context in which it appears.