Rotterdam Study

The world’s population is ageing and an important consequence of this demographic shift is the development of chronic diseases. With increasing longevity, the likelihood of ‘multi-morbidity’, i.e. developing multiple chronic conditions, also increases. Prospective cohort studies, recruiting large population-representative samples, are a highly effective and efficient approach to unravel the causes of diseases and identify potential targets for preventive interventions, especially in the case of highly complex multifactorial diseases.

The Rotterdam Study was initiated in 1989 as a response to the demographic changes that worldwide, especially in Western countries, were leading to an increase of the proportion of elderly people. The overall aim of the Rotterdam Study is to describe the prevalence and incidence, unravel the etiology, and identify targets for prediction, prevention or intervention of multifactorial diseases in mid-life and elderly.

Examinations focusing on possible causes of chronic disease

By the start of 2021, the Rotterdam Study overall comprised 17,931 participants aged 40 years or over, recruited in four different cycles. The participants are all extensively examined at study entry (i.e. baseline) and subsequent follow-up visits that take place every 3 to 6 years. These examinations focus on possible causes of chronic diseases in the elderly in a clinically state-ofthe-art manner. While originally the emphasis was put on imaging (of heart, blood vessels, eyes, skeleton and later brain) and on collecting biospecimens that enabled further in-depth molecular and genetic analyses, the scope has been expanded to include lifestyle, psychosocial health and living environment as additional sources of important determinants over the years.

The participants in the Rotterdam Study are followed for a variety of diseases that are highly prevalent in the elderly, which include but are not exclusive to coronary heart disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke, Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease and other dementias, depressive and anxiety disorders, macular degeneration and glaucoma, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, liver diseases, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, dermatological diseases and cancer.

If you are interested in collaborating with us, contact us at: m.kavousi@erasmusmc.nl