Microsimulation for Clinical Decision-Making in Individual Patients With Established Coronary Artery Disease

FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOCUTANEOUS DISEASES Selected Writings in Psychosomatics, Psychodermatology and Psycho-Neuro-Endocrinoimmunology A Memorial Publication for Emiliano Panconesi

“…Koran et al (35) performed their prevalence study in a computer-assisted survey in only one city in the US, so that here, too, no representativeness for the USA is to be assumed. Brohede et al (59) included only women in their study and found clinically-relevant BDD in 2.1% of the subjects, applying the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire (BDDQ) in structured clinical interviews. When the symptoms of BDD according to DSM-4 (26) or DSM-5 (5) were examined, in a representative sample similar to the one in this study, the authors found prevalence of 1.7% (26), or 0.8%, respectively (5).…”

“…Mathematical modelling ( 56) and subsequent computer simulations, which have been extensively applied in demography, may provide another potential solution in LCR in chronic disabling diseases, including psoriasis. Such models can be macro models (describing subpopulations over time in a given country) (57), micro models (58,59) (where the life course of each individual is modelled, for instance being represented as a series of predefined states, time being assumed as a discrete unit) or combined macro-micro models (60). In these models, the known risk factors determined in cross-sectional studies (e.g., reduced employment or increased divorce rates) serve as input variables; the models then output life courses of patients and of healthy controls, thus providing an additional method to assess the impact of chronic diseases on life course.…”