A multicenter rheumatology research network is analyzing demographic data for a newly defined phenotype of large-vessel vasculitis. The registry includes confirmed cases. The investigators perform a descriptive analysis of the age of initial symptom onset. The resulting histogram demonstrates a normal distribution. According to the registry's statistical report, the percentile for age of symptom onset is years, and the percentile is years.
Based on the empirical characteristics of normal distributions, what is the mean age of symptom onset (in years) for this patient cohort?
Cevap: 45 years
Cevap
The mean age of symptom onset is 45 years.
Based on the 68-95-99.7 rule for normal distributions, the percentile corresponds to the mean plus one standard deviation (), because of the data is below the mean and is between the mean and . The percentile corresponds to the mean minus two standard deviations (), because of the data falls within two standard deviations, leaving in the tails, or in the lower tail. This creates the system of equations: and . The difference between the two values () represents standard deviations. Thus, one standard deviation is years (). The mean is therefore years.
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Anahtar Kavram
Application of the empirical (68-95-99.7) rule to determine the mean and standard deviation of a normal distribution using specific percentiles.