NSHDS-MONICA

The Northern Sweden MONICA Study is a cohort within Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study (NSHDS). It started with the WHO MONICA Study in 1985. The purpose was to monitor trends in mortality and morbidity in cardiovascular disease and relate them to trends in risk factors. Since 1985 21,000 strictly validated stroke events and 19,000 myocardial infarctions have been included in two registers. During the same period, eight population based surveys have been taking place, the latest in 2022. The participation rates have been 51-81%. Subjects donated samples to Biobanken norr. After 40 years since the start of the study, participants are starting to suffer from stroke, infarctions and diabetes in a rapidly increasing rate. We have successfully matched the event registers with population survey data, thereby creating a cost-effective prospective study design for MI, stroke and diabetes. Data from the three data bases has been used in more than 85 original studies and 14 dissertations since 2007. Increasingly other fields have been explored such as infectious diseases, nutrion and enviromental toxins. The main purpose of the MONICA survey is to study cardiovascular risk factors in the population and the incidence of myocardial infarction and stroke after strict validation.