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An evaluation of cusum analysis in asthma
British Journal of Diseases of the Chest
|April 1, 1980
Summary
Cusum analysis for serial peak flow (PF) measurements in asthma generally offers no advantage over simple PF graphs. Trends identified solely by cusum analysis were too minor to guide treatment decisions for airflow obstruction.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Medical Statistics
Background:
- Serial peak flow (PF) monitoring is crucial for managing asthma and airflow obstruction.
- Visual inspection of PF charts is a common method for trend analysis.
- Cusum (cumulative sum) analysis has been proposed as a potentially clearer method for trend detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of cusum analysis compared to visual inspection of PF charts.
- To determine if cusum analysis offers additional advantages in identifying clinically significant trends in PF data.
Main Methods:
- Applied cusum analysis to serial PF measurements from patients with airflow obstruction.
- Compared results from cusum analysis with simple graphical representations of PF data.
Main Results:
- Cusum analysis typically provided no additional benefit over standard PF graphs.
- Trends detected exclusively by cusum analysis were generally too small to influence treatment decisions.
Conclusions:
- Cusum analysis is unlikely to be superior to simple PF graphing for routine asthma management.
- The clinical significance of trends identified solely through cusum analysis in PF data is questionable for treatment guidance.