title: The quality of epidemiological data in coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis.
abstract: There are inherent difficulties in the use of indirect observations in the epidemiology of a chronic ubiquitous disease such as atherosclerosis. Such difficulties do not condone basic errors in epidemiological methodology, the use of low quality data, a lack of precision in measurements, invalid extrapolations and inappropriate use of terminology and coronary heart disease as a surrogate or synonym of coronary atherosclerosis and bias in the interpretation of data. These errors reveal a lack of rigorous and scientific standards in the epidemiology of coronary heart disease. Analysis cannot launder such data. Independent scientists must evaluate the data in respect of precision, logic and truth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Wellington School of Medicine, University of Otago, New Zealand.
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Stehbens
mesh_terms: D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015982:Bias; D015984:Causality; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D004036:Diet, Atherogenic; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol