Geometrical mapping of diseases with calculated similarity measure

Disease similarity is a useful measure that has potential application to various aspects of medicine. One such application is the mapping of diseases in a two-dimensional plane, which can be the foundation of a useful diagnostic reminder method called the “pivot and cluster strategy.” However, the mapping of diseases using a similarity measure has yet to be explored. This article investigates such a mapping, and quantifies its basic characteristics. We first collected mutual similarity data for 1,550 diseases using a machine learning approach. The calculated similarity data were then used to map the diseases using a “multidimensional scaling” algorithm. Quantitative analysis indicated that it is difficult to express all the diseases on the map and yet still show the similarity information between the items. Then, by restricting the input, the algorithm performed well in practice. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the automated mapping of diseases on a plane for use in clinical practice.