Book Chapter

Multivariate frailty model with a major gene: application to genealogical data

Begun, A. Z., Desjardins, B., Yashin, A. I., Iachine, I. A.
In: Hasman, A., Blobel, B., Dudeck, J., Engelbrecht, R., Gell, G., Prokosch, H.-U. (Eds.): Medical Infobahn for Europe, 412–416
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics 77
Amsterdam, IOS Press (2000)

Abstract

Multivariate survival models are shown to be analysis of the genetic and the environmental nature of a human life-span. Models which involve continuously distributed individual frailty, play an important role in the genetic analysis of an individual's susceptibility to disease and death. These models, however, are not appropriate for the detection of the effects of separate genes on survival. For this purpose we developed a 'major gene' frailty model of multivariate survival and applied it to simulated and real pedigree data. The analysis shows that this model can be used for the detection of the presence of major genes in the population and for the evaluation of the effects of such genes on survival. (AUTHORS)
The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock is one of the leading demographic research centers in the world. It's part of the Max Planck Society, the internationally renowned German research society.