In LindaNab/mecor: Measurement Error Correction in Linear Models with a Continuous Outcome

knitr::opts_chunk$set(
  collapse = TRUE,
  comment = "#>"
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options(rmarkdown.html_vignette.check_title = FALSE)
library(mecor)

Introduction

mecor is an R package for Measurement Error CORrection. mecor implements measurement error correction methods for linear models with continuous outcomes. The measurement error can either occur in a continuous covariate or in the continuous outcome. This vignette discusses covariate measurement error correction by means of standard regression calibration in mecor.

Regression calibration is one of the most popular measurement error correction methods for covariate measurement error. This vignette shows how standard regression calibration is applied in an internal validation study, a replicates study, a calibration study and an external validation study. Each of the four studies will be introduced in the subsequent sections, along with examples of how standard regression calibration can be applied in each of the four studies using mecor's function mecor(). In all four studies, our interest lies in estimating the association between a continuous reference exposure $X$ and a continuous outcome $Y$, given covariates $Z$. Instead of $X$, the substitute error-prone exposure $X^*$ is measured.

Internal validation study

The simulated data set vat in mecor is an internal covariate-validation study. An internal validation study includes a subset of individuals of whom the reference exposure $X$ is observed. The data set vat contains 1000 observations of the outcome insulin resistance $IR_{ln}$, the error-prone exposure waist circumference $WC$ and the covariates sex, age and total body fat, $sex$, $age$ and $TBF$, respectively. The reference exposure visceral adipose tissue $VAT$ is observed in approximately 25% of the individuals in the study.

# load internal covariate validation study
data("vat", package = "mecor")
head(vat)

When ignoring the measurement error in $WC$, one would naively regress $WC$ and $sex$, $age$ and $TBF$ on $IR_{ln}$. This results in a biased estimation of the exposure-outcome association:

# naive estimate of the exposure-outcome association
lm(ir_ln ~ wc + sex + age + tbf, data = vat)

Alternatively, one could perform an analysis restricted to the internal validation set:

# analysis restricted to the internal validation set
lm(ir_ln ~ vat + sex + age + tbf, data = subset(vat, !is.na(vat)))

Although the above would result in an unbiased estimation of the exposure-outcome association, approximately 75% of the data is thrown out. Instead of doing an analysis restricted to the internal validation set, you could use standard regression calibration to correct for the measurement error in $X^$. The following code chunk shows standard regression calibration* with mecor():

mecor(formula = ir_ln ~ MeasError(substitute = wc, reference = vat) + sex + age + tbf,
      data = vat,
      method = "standard", # defaults to "standard"
      B = 0) # defaults to 0

As shown in the above code chunk, the mecor() function needs a formula argument, a data argument, a method argument and a B argument. Presumably, you are familiar with the structure of a formula in R. The only thing that's different here is the use of a MeasError() object in the formula. A MeasError() object is used to declare the substitute measure, in our case $WC$, and the reference measure, in our case $VAT$. The B argument of mecor() is used to calculate bootstrap confidence intervals for the corrected coefficients of the model. Let us construct 95% confidence intervals using the bootstrap with 999 replicates:

# save corrected fit
rc_fit <- 
  mecor(formula = ir_ln ~ MeasError(substitute = wc, reference = vat) + age + sex + tbf,
        data = vat,
        method = "standard", # defaults to "standard"
        B = 999) # defaults to 0

Print the confidence intervals to the console using summary():

summary(rc_fit)

Two types of 95% confidence intervals are shown in the output of the summary() object. Bootstrap confidence intervals and Delta method confidence intervals. The default method to constructing confidence intervals in mecor is the Delta method. Further, Fieller method confidence intervals and zero variance method confidence intervals can be constructed with summary():

# fieller method ci and zero variance method ci and se's for 'rc_fit'
summary(rc_fit, zerovar = TRUE, fieller = TRUE)

Fieller method confidence intervals are only constructed for the corrected covariate (in this case $X$).

Replicates study

The simulated data set bloodpressure in mecor is a replicates study. A replicates study includes a subset of individuals of whom the error-prone substitute exposure is repeatedly measured. The dataset bloodpressure contains 1000 observations of the outcome $creatinine$, three replicate measures of the error-prone exposure systolic blood pressure $sbp30, sbp60$ and $sbp120$, and one covariates age $age$. It is assumed that there is 'random' measurement error in the repeatedly measured substitute exposure measure.

# load replicates study
data("bloodpressure", package = "mecor")
head(bloodpressure)

When ignoring the measurement error in $sbp30$, one would naively regress $sbp30$, $age$ on $creatinine$. Which results in a biased estimation of the exposure-outcome association:

# naive estimate of the exposure-outcome association
lm(creatinine ~ sbp30 + age, 
   data = bloodpressure)

Or alternatively, one could calculate the mean of each of the three replicate measures. Yet, this would still lead to a biased estimation of the exposure-outcome association:

## calculate the mean of the three replicate measures
bloodpressure$sbp_123 <- with(bloodpressure, rowMeans(cbind(sbp30, sbp60, sbp120)))
# naive estimate of the exposure-outcome association version 2
lm(creatinine ~ sbp_123 + age,
   data = bloodpressure)

For an unbiased estimation of the exposure-outcome association, one could use regression calibration using mecor():

mecor(formula = creatinine ~ MeasError(sbp30, replicate = cbind(sbp60, sbp120)) + age,
      data = bloodpressure)

Instead of using the reference argument in the MeasError() object, the replicate argument is used. Standard errors of the regression calibration estimator and confidence intervals can be constructed similar to what was shown for an internal validation study.

Calibration study

The simulated data set sodium in mecor is a outcome calibration study. In a calibration study, two types of measurements are used to measure the outcome (or exposure). A measurement method prone to 'systematic' error, and a measurement method prone to 'random' error. The measurement prone to 'systematic' error is observed in the full study, the measurement prone to 'classical' error is observed in a subset of the study and repeatedly measured. The dataset sodium contains 1000 observations of the systematically error prone outcome $recall$, the randomly error prone outcome $urinary1$ and $urinary2$, and the exposure (in our case a indicator for diet) $diet$. The two replicate measures of the outcome prone to random error are observed in 498 individuals (approximately 50 percent).

# load calibration study
data("sodium", package = "mecor")
head(sodium)

When ignoring the measurement error in $recall$, one would naively regress $diet$ on $recall$. Which results in a biased estimation of the exposure-outcome association:

## uncorrected regression
lm(recall ~ diet, 
   data = sodium)

Alternatively, one could use the first half of the study population and use the mean of each of the two replicate measures. This would lead to an unbiased estimation of the exposure-outcome association since there is random measurement error int he replicate measures:

## calculate mean of three replicate measures
sodium$urinary_12 <- with(sodium, rowMeans(cbind(urinary1, urinary2)))
## uncorrected regression version 2
lm(urinary_12 ~ diet,
   data = sodium)

For an unbiased estimation of the exposure-outcome association, one could alternatively use standard regression calibration using mecor():

mecor(formula = MeasError(substitute = recall, replicate = cbind(urinary1, urinary2)) ~ diet,
      data = sodium)

Standard errors of the regression calibration estimator and confidence intervals can be constructed similar to what was shown for an internal validation study.

External validation study

The simulated data set heamoglogin_ext in mecor is a external outcome-validation study. An external validation study is used when in the main study, no information is available to correct for the measurement error in the outcome $Y$ (or exposure). Suppose for example that venous heamoglobin levels $venous$ are not observed in the internal outcome-validation study haemoglobin. An external validation study is a (small) sub study containing observations of the reference measure venous heamoglobin levels $venous$, the error-prone substitute measure $capillary$ (and the covariate(s) $Z$ in case of an covariate-validation study) of the original study. The external validation study is then used to estimate the calibration model, that is subsequently used to correct for the measurement error in the main study.

# load internal covariate validation study
data("haemoglobin_ext", package = "mecor")
head(haemoglobin_ext)
data("haemoglobin", package = "mecor")

Suppose reference measure $X$ is not observed in dataset icvs. To correct the bias in the naive association between exposure $X^*$ and outcome $Y$ given $Z$, using the external validation study, one can proceed as follows using mecor():

# Estimate the calibration model in the external validation study
calmod <- lm(capillary ~ venous, 
             data = haemoglobin)
# Use the calibration model for measurement error correction:
mecor(MeasErrorExt(substitute = capillary, model = calmod) ~ supplement,
      data = haemoglobin)

In the above, a MeasErrorExt() object is used, indicating that external information is used for measurement error correction. The model argument of a MeasErrorExt() object takes a linear model of class lm (in the above calmod). Alternatively, a named list with the coefficients of the calibration model can be used as follows:

# Use coefficients for measurement error correction:
mecor(MeasErrorExt(capillary, model = list(coef = c(-7, 1.1))) ~ supplement,
      data = haemoglobin)

LindaNab/mecor documentation built on Dec. 15, 2021, 6:59 p.m.