Cutoff

A cutoff (or cut-off) is a threshold value used to divide a continuous range of data into distinct categories or to determine if a condition is met.

A cutoff point in clinical practice refers to a specific value of a measurement beyond or below which a certain diagnosis, risk category, or treatment indication is applied.

Examples:

• Blood pressure ≥ 140/90 mmHg → Hypertension
• Fasting glucose ≥ 126 mg/dL → Diabetes Mellitus

Cutoffs are used to distinguish between:

• Statistically significant vs. non-significant results
• Inclusion vs. exclusion criteria

Example:

• p-value < 0.05 is a common cutoff for statistical significance

A cutoff frequency is a boundary frequency that determines the limit for signal transmission in filters (e.g., low-pass or high-pass).