Statistics and Its Interface

Volume 10 (2017)

Number 4

Joint modeling of recurrent and terminal events using additive models

Pages: 699 – 710

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4310/SII.2017.v10.n4.a12

Authors

Lianqiang Qu (Institute of Applied Mathematics, Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China)

Liuquan Sun (Institute of Applied Mathematics, Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China)

Lei Liu (Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.)

Abstract

In this article, we propose a joint modeling approach for the analysis of recurrent event data with a terminal event. We specify an additive rates model with a multiplicative frailty for the conditional recurrent event rate, and an additive hazards frailty model for the terminal event. A shared frailty is used to account for the association between recurrent and terminal events. An estimating equation approach is developed for the marginal and association parameters in the joint model, and the asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators are established. The finite sample performance of the proposed estimators is examined through simulation studies, and an application to a medical cost study of chronic heart failure patients is illustrated.

Keywords

additive models, estimating equations, frailty, partial marginal models, recurrent events, terminal event

2010 Mathematics Subject Classification

Primary 62N01, 62N02. Secondary 62G05.

Published 30 May 2017