Propensity Score Methods in Rare Disease. A Demonstration Using Observational Data in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Propensity Score Methods in Rare Disease. A Demonstration Using Observational Data in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. J Rheumatol. 2020 Jul 01;: Authors: Almaghlouth I, Pullenayegum E, Gladman DD, Urowitz MB, Johnson SR Abstract Observational studies allow researchers to understand the natural history of rheumatic conditions, risk factors for disease development, factors affecting important disease-related outcomes and estimate treatment effect from real world data. However, this design carries a risk of confounding bias. A propensity score is a balancing score that aims to minimize the difference between study groups and consequently potential confounding effects. The score can be applied in one of four methods in observational research: matching, stratification, adjustment, and inverse probability weighting. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a rare disease characterized by relatively small sample size and/or low event rates. In this article, we review propensity score methods. We demonstrate application of propensity score methods to achieve study group balance in a rare disease using an example of risk of infection in SLE patients with hypogammaglobulinemia. PMID: 32611674 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: J Rheumatol - Category: Rheumatology Authors: Tags: J Rheumatol Source Type: research