Area under the curve-derived measures characterizing longitudinal patient responses for given thresholds

Background: Calculation of the area under the curve (AUC) is a widely used practice in longitudinal study settings. The AUC values should reflect study participants’ particular trajectories by means of a continuous measure which can be further analysed with ordinary statistical methods. However, its...

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Main Authors: Andreas Allgoewer, Manuel Schmid, Peter Radermacher, Pierre Asfar, Benjamin Mayer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Milano University Press 2018-12-01
Series:Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health
Online Access:https://ebph.it/article/view/12948
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author Andreas Allgoewer
Manuel Schmid
Peter Radermacher
Pierre Asfar
Benjamin Mayer
author_facet Andreas Allgoewer
Manuel Schmid
Peter Radermacher
Pierre Asfar
Benjamin Mayer
author_sort Andreas Allgoewer
collection DOAJ
description Background: Calculation of the area under the curve (AUC) is a widely used practice in longitudinal study settings. The AUC values should reflect study participants’ particular trajectories by means of a continuous measure which can be further analysed with ordinary statistical methods. However, its sheer calculation does not necessarily mirror exactly the piece of information one is seeking for.  Methods: Available formulas for the calculation of the AUC as well as their specific advantages and limitations are presented. Furthermore, some approaches are discussed to develop AUC-derived measures for the application in particular analysis situations, especially capturing the extent of undercutting or exceeding a given threshold.  Results: The presented formulas provide an extension of the well-established AUC formulas for respective situations where threshold-dependent subareas of the entire AUC are of interest. To our knowledge, the proposed formulas have been introduced for the first time. Their application to real-world data sets demonstrated the ability to flexibly calculate AUCs of specific interest.  Conclusions: The extended AUC formulas presented in this paper may help to answer research questions more properly in situations where particular thresholds have to be considered in the course of the analysis. Future developments may address the problem of missing values as well as the current limitation of a fixed threshold.
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spelling doaj-art-e3169f8d6beb4cf0a935c46ee2762b8e2025-08-20T03:16:42ZengMilano University PressEpidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health2282-09302018-12-0115410.2427/1294811181Area under the curve-derived measures characterizing longitudinal patient responses for given thresholdsAndreas Allgoewer0Manuel Schmid1Peter Radermacher2Pierre Asfar3Benjamin Mayer4Institute of Epidemiology and Medical Biometry, Ulm University, GermanyDepartment for Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich, SwitzerlandInstitute for Anaesthesiological Pathophysiology and Process Development, University Hospital Ulm, GermanyDepartment of Medical Intensive Care, University Hospital of Angers, FranceInstitute of Epidemiology and Medical Biometry, Ulm University, GermanyBackground: Calculation of the area under the curve (AUC) is a widely used practice in longitudinal study settings. The AUC values should reflect study participants’ particular trajectories by means of a continuous measure which can be further analysed with ordinary statistical methods. However, its sheer calculation does not necessarily mirror exactly the piece of information one is seeking for.  Methods: Available formulas for the calculation of the AUC as well as their specific advantages and limitations are presented. Furthermore, some approaches are discussed to develop AUC-derived measures for the application in particular analysis situations, especially capturing the extent of undercutting or exceeding a given threshold.  Results: The presented formulas provide an extension of the well-established AUC formulas for respective situations where threshold-dependent subareas of the entire AUC are of interest. To our knowledge, the proposed formulas have been introduced for the first time. Their application to real-world data sets demonstrated the ability to flexibly calculate AUCs of specific interest.  Conclusions: The extended AUC formulas presented in this paper may help to answer research questions more properly in situations where particular thresholds have to be considered in the course of the analysis. Future developments may address the problem of missing values as well as the current limitation of a fixed threshold.https://ebph.it/article/view/12948
spellingShingle Andreas Allgoewer
Manuel Schmid
Peter Radermacher
Pierre Asfar
Benjamin Mayer
Area under the curve-derived measures characterizing longitudinal patient responses for given thresholds
Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health
title Area under the curve-derived measures characterizing longitudinal patient responses for given thresholds
title_full Area under the curve-derived measures characterizing longitudinal patient responses for given thresholds
title_fullStr Area under the curve-derived measures characterizing longitudinal patient responses for given thresholds
title_full_unstemmed Area under the curve-derived measures characterizing longitudinal patient responses for given thresholds
title_short Area under the curve-derived measures characterizing longitudinal patient responses for given thresholds
title_sort area under the curve derived measures characterizing longitudinal patient responses for given thresholds
url https://ebph.it/article/view/12948
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