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The hazard ratio as a measure of effect in clinical trials of elderly populations: common pitfalls and misconceptions

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Abstract

The hazard ratio is a measure of effect which is of paramount importance in etiological research, that is in studies aimed at assessing the strength of the causal relationship between a given treatment/exposure and a certain outcome. Despite the widespread use of the hazard ratio as a measure of effect in scientific reports and articles, the interpretation of this index is often accompanied by some misconceptions which can jeopardize the critical appraisal of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and observational studies as well. Herein, using a series of examples derived from RCTs in the elderly subjects, we address major pitfalls regarding the interpretation of the hazard ratio in geriatric research.

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Funding

No author has to disclose any conflict of interest that could have direct or potential influence or impart bias on the work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, 1st Department of Internal Medicine, AHEPA Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Stefanos Roumeliotis

  2. Institute of Clinical Physiology (IFC-CNR), Clinical Epidemiology and Physiopathology of Renal Diseases and Hypertension, Ospedali Riuniti, via Vallone Petrara, Reggio Calabria, Italy

    Stefanos Roumeliotis, Graziella D’Arrigo & Giovanni Tripepi

Authors
  1. Stefanos Roumeliotis
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  2. Graziella D’Arrigo
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  3. Giovanni Tripepi
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Contributions

SR, GD and GT contributed to the study conception and design. The first draft of the manuscript was written by SR, and GT. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giovanni Tripepi.

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Roumeliotis, S., D’Arrigo, G. & Tripepi, G. The hazard ratio as a measure of effect in clinical trials of elderly populations: common pitfalls and misconceptions. Aging Clin Exp Res 33, 505–511 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-020-01538-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-020-01538-8

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