Advancing sex-based medicine via meta-analysis: Epi Inquiry Accolade- Meta Analysis 01/2006

[Epidemiologic Inquiry 2006, 1: 10]

An important role of epidemiology is to advance medicine and clinical practice. Typically, meta-analyses can be helpful in summarizing study results to guide clinical practice and disease prevention. However, meta-analyses can ascend beyond fulfilling that simple role, as the truly outstanding meta-analyses can also advance scientific thinking beyond simple exposure-outcome relationships.

Such was the unique contribution of the sex-specific meta-analysis of diabetes and risk of CHD mortality by Huxley et al., demonstrating that sex is an important factor in determining the etiologic relationship between these two conditions. While the diabetes-heart disease relationship has long been recognized and sex differences have been suggested, this study was the first to formally document this important sex difference, as it ever more emphasizes the need for sex-based medicine and studying epidemiology in diverse populations.

Therfore, for making this important contribution, the editors select as the Epidemiologic Inquiry Accolade: Meta-Analysis of the Month 01/2006...

Excess risk of fatal coronary heart disease associated with diabetes in men and women: meta-analysis of 37 prospective cohort studies
BMJ 2006;332:73-78
Rachel Huxley, Federica Barzi, Mark Woodward

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