Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by FERRAZ, M.B.
Right arrow Articles by ATRA, E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by FERRAZ, M.B.
Right arrow Articles by ATRA, E.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 1995 British Society for Rheumatology

research-article

SENSITIVITY AND SPECIFICITY OF DIFFERENT DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR BEHÇET'S DISEASE ACCORDING TO THE LATENT CLASS APPROACH

M.BOSI FERRAZ*,{dagger},, S. D. WALTER{dagger}, R. HEYMANN* and E. ATRA*

*Division of Rheumatology, Escola Paulista de Medicina S{macron}o Paulo, Brazil
{dagger}Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University Hamilton, Canada

Correspondence to: Correspondence to: M. Bosi Ferraz, Escola Paulista de Medicinz, Division of Rheumatology, Rua Botucatu 740, S{macron}o Paulo, Brazil. CEP = 04023-062.

In this study, we estimated the sensitivity and specificity of different criteria (International, Japanese, Mason & Barnes, O'Duffy, James and clinical judgement) for Behçet's Disease using the latent class approach. Thirty-two consecutive Behçet's Disease patients who were initially diagnosed according to clinical judgement, and 56 control patients with other rheumatic diseases, were recruited from the rheumatology out-patient clinic. The patients had their charts reviewed, were interviewed and clinically examined. Various models including different combinations of the six diagnostic criteria were tested. In the model that included all the information gathered, the International (sensitivity = 0.95, specificity = 1.00), Japanese (sensitivity = 1.00, specificity = 0.95) and Mason & Barnes criteria (sensitivity = 1.00, specificity = 0.94) were the most accurate. Clinican judgement also performed very well in identifying a Behçet's Disease case (sensitivity = 1.00, specificity = 0.85). The International, Japanese and Mason & Barnes criteria were the most accurate. The latent class method led to these conclusions without making any initial assumptions about the accuracy of any of the competing criteria (including clinical judgement).

KEY WORDS: Diagnostic criteria, Classification criteria, Clinical features, Outcome measures, Behçet's Syndrome


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 BiostatisticsHome page
M. S. Pepe and H. Janes
Insights into latent class analysis of diagnostic test performance
Biostat., April 1, 2007; 8(2): 474 - 484.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 GutHome page
P Moayyedi, J Duffy, and B Delaney
New approaches to enhance the accuracy of the diagnosis of reflux disease
Gut, May 1, 2004; 53(suppl_4): iv55 - iv57.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Vasc MedHome page
J. A Beckman, D. H Pfizenmaier II, and T. W Rooke
Clinical pathologic conference: A young man with a thoracoabdominal aneurysm
Vascular Medicine, February 1, 2004; 9(1): 70 - 77.
[PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.