Statistical compared to clinical significance and the risk of misattribution

Extract

We thank M. Ekström and colleagues for their interest in our study [1] and for their comments. The central concepts that M. Ekström and colleagues express in their correspondence are that our findings of increased respiratory-related morbidity and mortality in association with new serotonergic antidepressant use among older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) “likely reflect the underlying illness(es) and other unmeasured factors rather than an actual drug effect”.