Cohort Profile: The Girona Heart Registry

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease; Population registry; Epidemiological cohort

Malaltia cardiovascular; Registre poblacional; Cohort epidemiològica

Enfermedad cardiovascular; Registro poblacional; Cohorte epidemiológica

The Girona Heart Registry (REGICOR) is a population-based study designed to analyse the magnitude of and factors related to cardiovascular (CV) diseases in Southern Europe. The REGICOR cohort integrates the participants of four population-based surveys conducted in 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2018 in the Girona province (North-Eastern Spain), with a current reference population of approximately 790 000 inhabitants. � The REGICOR cohort includes 11 631 individuals (1748 in 1995, 3030 in 2000, 6308 in 2005, and 545 in 2018). At inclusion, 52% of the study population were females; their mean ages were 51, 50, 57, and 45, respectively. � Two re-examinations were conducted for the participants recruited in 1995, 2000, and 2005. � Follow-up data on CV events and cause-specific mortality are available for 11 518 participants since baseline, with a median follow-up time of 18.6 years. Follow-up data on non-CV events have been available since 2008. � During inclusion and re-examinations, we obtained blood samples and information on CV and other risk factors using validated questionnaires, standardized tests, and imaging assessments. Genotyping was performed on the whole cohort. Circulating biomarkers, DNA methylation, microRNAs, and proteomics have been measured in a cohort subset.