The Rotterdam Study: 2014 Objectives and Design Update
November 2013
in “
European Journal of Epidemiology
”
TLDR The Rotterdam Study aims to understand disease causes in the elderly and has found new risk factors and genetic influences on various conditions.
The Rotterdam Study, initiated in 1990, is a prospective cohort study that has included 14,926 participants aged 45 or older as of 2008, aiming to investigate the etiology of various diseases in the elderly. The study has contributed to over 1,000 research articles and reports, with participants undergoing detailed examinations every 3-4 years. Major findings include unrecognized myocardial infarctions, new risk factors for atrial fibrillation, and predictors of coronary heart disease. The study has identified genetic loci influencing bone mineral density, fracture risk, hip osteoarthritis, and age-at-menopause, among others. It has also updated methods for assessing bone health, osteoarthritis, and expanded research into liver and neurological diseases. The study emphasizes the importance of large-scale collaboration for understanding genetic and epidemiological risk factors for various diseases.
