The Rotterdam Study. Design update and major findings between 2020 and 2024

Abstract

The Rotterdam Study is a population-based cohort study, started in 1990 in the district of Ommoord in the city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with the aim 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. The study currently includes 17,931 participants (overall response rate 65%), aged 40 years and over, who are examined in-person every 3 to 5 years in a dedicated research facility, and who are followed-up continuously through automated linkage with health care providers, both regionally and nationally. Research within the Rotterdam Study is carried out along two axes. First, research lines are oriented around diseases and clinical conditions, which are reflective of medical specializations. Second, cross-cutting research lines transverse these clinical demarcations allowing for inter- and multidisciplinary research. These research lines generally reflect subdomains within epidemiology. This paper describes recent methodological updates and main findings from each of these research lines. Also, future perspective for coming years highlighted.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Cancer and related diseases; Cardiovascular diseases; Cohort study; Dermatological diseases; Endocrine diseases; Epidemiologic methods; Genetic and molecular epidemiology; Liver diseases; Neurological diseases; Nutrition and lifestyle epidemiology; Oncology; Ophthalmic diseases; Otolaryngological diseases; Pharmacoepidemiology; Population imaging; Psychiatric diseases; Renal diseases; Respiratory diseases; Responsible research; Risk factors.