Figure 3. Validating predicted prevalence and optimizing screening ages.
(A) Model predictions for BE prevalence in general US population stratified by sex, with contributions of relative risk (RR) of BE from the prevalent GERD subpopulation assumed to be RR=5, solid lines (shaded areas, RR=2-6). Dashed lines are BE prevalence data from CORI [14]. (B) Model predictions for BE prevalence in GERD populations with fixed values assumed for range of RR since birth (RR=2-6). CORI data (dashed lines) corresponds with model’s expected predictions for true GERD-specific BE prevalence contributing to subpopulation in (A) that would lie within shaded regions for men and women due to heterogeneity in GERD onset ages. For analogous age-specific populations, bottom row depicts optimization results from screening objective function (see Materials and Methods) with w = 1 in (C) general populations and (D) symptomatic GERD populations, including single age results for optimal initial screening age t’s (blue diamonds). Abbreviation: esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC)
