The Cohort of 60-year-olds
Prediction of cardiovascular disease in men and women born in 1937 or 1938.
The Cohort of 60-year-olds (60YO) consists of 2039 men and 2193 women who during the period from July 1 1997 to June 30 1998 reached the age of 60 and resided in Stockholm county at the time of recruitment. The participants were randomly selected from the population register; every third man and woman listed who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were invited to participate in a study aiming at increasing knowledge about risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Participation in the study involved attending a health control which included blood sampling, and the completion of a questionnaire. Subjects were asked to be fasting since midnight the day before. The rate of participation was 78%. Blood samples (whole blood, serum and plasma) and DNA were stored in -80°C freezers. The predictive role of different risk exposures/biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases is assessed through annual matching against available national registers. About 50 international original research articles have so far been generated from the database.
The cohort is utilized for cohort analyses in four EU-funded studies:
- CVD-IMMUNE, for exploration of immunological mechanisms behind CVD
- IMPROVE, for exploration of mechanisms/factors behind atherosclerosis progression
- CEANS, exploration of air pollution and atherosclerosis and CVD risk
- SUMMIT for investigations of biomarkers related to CVD-risk in diabetics
Financing
- Swedish Research Council
- Heart & Lung Foundation
- Stockholm County Council (ALF)
- the Cardiovascular Programme at Karolinska Institutet
- European Union grants
Contact persons