Comparing two human disease networks: Gene-based and symptom-based perspectives

Abstract

The authors reported whether there is a positive correlation between the numbers of symptoms and genes shared by a pair of diseases. A new network depicting disease-symptom relationships was introduced and analyzed by comparing it to Goh et al.'s network depicting disease-gene relationships. The two networks had very different structures, and there was essentially no correlation between genetic and symptomatic similarities between diseases. The methodology and findings may inform medical researchers and practitioners about sets of confusing diseases that require particular attention in diagnosis and treatment.