Rotterdam Study

The Rotterdam Study is a prospective, population-based cohort study. The aim of the Rotterdam Study is to investigate factors that determine the occurrence of cardiovascular, neurological, ophthalmological, endocrinological, and psychiatric diseases in elderly people.

The study was established in 1990 by professor Albert Hofman of the department Epidemiology & Biostatistics at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Inhabitants of Ommoord, a suburb of Rotterdam, were invited to participate on a regular basis.

Cohorts of the Rotterdam Study
The Rotterdam Study comprises three cohorts.

The initial cohort started in 1990 with 7,983 men and women aged 55 years and over. Follow-up visits were held in 1994-1995, in 1997-1999, and in 2002-2004.

In 2000-2001 a second cohort was established. Another 3,011 inhabitants of Ommoord aged 55 years and over agreed to participate. The partakers of this second cohort visited the research center for a follow-up examination in 2004-2005.

The third cohort of the Rotterdam Study started in 2006, this time with inhabitants aged 45 years and over. By the end of 2008 about 4,000 participants will have been included in this third cohort.

Research center
A typical examination at the Rotterdam Study includes an extensive home interview and two visits for clinical examinations. Possible risk factors are measured at the research center, which is located in the middle of the district of Ommoord.

Clinical follow-up
Clinical outcomes are continuously monitored throughout the study period for all participants of the three cohorts. Data on morbidity and mortality are collected at general practitioners‘ practises and hospitals. All events are classified according to the ICD-10 system.

Publications
A list of publications from the Rotterdam Study.