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Michael Bigby, MD

Arch Dermatol. 2000;136:770-772.

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ODDS RATIOS and relative risks are commonly used to express results in clinical studies. The results of cohort studies and case-control studies are best expressed as relative risks and odds ratios, respectively. The use and interpretation of these ratios are the subject of this brief review.

In a cohort study, a group of individuals exposed to an agent are compared with an appropriately selected control group of individuals who are not exposed. Both groups are observed until an event of interest occurs or for a prespecified time period. The association of exposure and outcome is expressed as the relative risk (Table 1). Assuming that a study is unbiased, the relative risk is interpreted as follows: A relative risk of 1 implies no association. If the relative risk is greater than 1, and its 95% confidence interval does not include 1, then the result implies a . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Mass

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