Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T05:26:57.807Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Twin Concordance. A More General Model

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

G. Allen*
Affiliation:
Division of Biometry and Epidemiology, National Institute of Mental Health, US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Rockville, Maryland
Z. Hrubec
Affiliation:
Medical Follow-up Agency, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, USA
*
NIMH, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, USA

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Estimation of the twin concordance rate for a disease often requires two stages. First, the disease is ascertained in a population or in a population sample, and such twins as are found with the disease become probands. Second, twin pairs with only one proband are further investigated and additional concordant pairs are thus discovered. A mathematical model is presented that allows for continuous variation in completeness of ascertainment in both stages, for correlation within pairs in the primary ascertainment process, and for correlation within pairs in occurrence of the disease. The concordance rate can be estimated by the proband method if secondary ascertainment is complete; other measures of concordance are accurate only if primary ascertainment is complete. A parameter analogous to the concordance rate but related to correlation in primary ascertainment can be estimated from the same data.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1979

References

REFERENCES

1.Allen, G (1955). Comments on the analysis of twin samples. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 4:143160.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Edwards, JH (1960). The simulation of Mendelism. Acta Genet Stat Med 10:6370.Google ScholarPubMed
3.Falconer, DS (1965). The inheritance of liability to certain diseases, estimated from the incidence among relatives. Ann Hum Genet 29:5176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4.Fisher, RA (1934). The effect of method of ascertainment upon the estimation of frequencies. Ann Eugen 6:1325.Google Scholar
5.Gedda, L, Brenci, G (1966): Theoretical models in twin research. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 15:219223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6.Gottesman, II, Shields, J (1972): “Schizophrenia and Genetics.” New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
7.Hrubec, Z (1973). The effect of diagnostic ascertainment in twins on the assessment of the genetic factor in disease etiology. Am J Hum Genet 25:1528.Google ScholarPubMed
8.Hrubec, Z, Allen, G (1975). Methods and interpretation of twin concordance data (Letter to the editor). Am J Hum Genet 27:808809.Google Scholar
9.Kringlen, E (1966): Schizophrenia in twins. An epidemiological-clinical study. Psychiatry 29:172184.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Kringlen, E (1967): “Heredity and Environment in the Functional Psychoses. An Epidemiological-Clinical Twin Study.” Oslo, Universitetsforlaget; London: William Heinemann Medical Books.Google Scholar
11.Morton, NE (1959). Genetic tests under incomplete ascertainment. Am J Hum Genet 11:116.Google ScholarPubMed
12.Selvin, S (1970). Concordance in a twin population model. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 19:584590.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13.Smith, C (1972): Correlation in liability among relatives and concordance in twins. Hum Hered 22: 97101.Google Scholar
14.Smith, C (1974). Concordance in twins: Methods and interpretation. Am J Hum Genet 26:454466.Google ScholarPubMed
15.Stern, C (1958): The ratio of MZ to DZ affected twins and the frequencies of affected twins in unselected data. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 7:313320.Google Scholar
16.Vollmer, RT (1972). Twin concordance: A set theoretic and probability approach. J Theoret Biol 36:367378.Google Scholar
17.Weinberg, W (1928): Mathematisehe Grundlage der Probandenmetliode. Z Induct Abstamm 48: 179228.Google Scholar