Heterogeneity in meta-analyses of genome-wide association investigations.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Meta-analysis is the systematic and quantitative synthesis of effect sizes and the exploration of their diversity across different studies. Meta-analyses are increasingly applied to synthesize data from genome-wide association (GWA) studies and from other teams that try to replicate the genetic variants that emerge from such investigations. Between-study heterogeneity is important to document and may point to interesting leads.

Methodology/principal findings

To exemplify these issues, we used data from three GWA studies on type 2 diabetes and their replication efforts where meta-analyses of all data using fixed effects methods (not incorporating between-study heterogeneity) have already been published. We considered 11 polymorphisms that at least one of the three

SUBMITTER: Ioannidis JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1950790 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature