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Bayesian synthesis of epidemiological evidence with different combinations of exposure groups: application to a gene–gene–environment interaction
Author(s) -
Salanti Georgia,
Higgins Julian P. T.,
White Ian R.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
statistics in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.996
H-Index - 183
eISSN - 1097-0258
pISSN - 0277-6715
DOI - 10.1002/sim.2689
Subject(s) - meta analysis , computer science , bayesian probability , random effects model , set (abstract data type) , bayes' theorem , econometrics , computational biology , medicine , mathematics , artificial intelligence , biology , pathology , programming language
Meta‐analysis to investigate the joint effect of multiple factors in the aetiology of a disease is of increasing importance in epidemiology. This task is often challenging in practice, because studies typically concentrate on studying the effect of only one exposure, sometimes may report the interaction between two exposures, but rarely address more complex interactions that involve more than two exposures. In this paper, we develop a meta‐analysis framework that combines estimates from studies of multiple exposures. A key development is an approach to combining results from studies that report information on any subset or combination of the full set of exposures. The model requires assumptions to be made about the prevalence of the specific exposures. We discuss several possible model specifications and prior distributions, including information internal and external to the meta‐analysis data set, and using fixed‐effect and random‐effects meta‐analysis assumptions. The methodology is implemented in an original meta‐analysis of studies relating the risk of bladder cancer to two N‐acetyltransferase genes, NAT1 and NAT2, and smoking status. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.