Population studies
Large biobanks and data collections that contain details on health and diseases in the population are an invaluable source of knowledge.
Lund University’s Faculty of Medicine has a long tradition of engaging citizens and patients in major, epidemiological studies. Gathered data is an important basis for various research projects.
Below are a few examples of some of the population studies that have been conducted or are underway at the Faculty of Medicine. The links will forward you to other websites.
ANDIS
ANDIS (All New Diabetics in Skåne) is the first comprehensive mapping of diabetes illnesses in a major population group that has ever been carried out. Its purpose is to register all new cases of diabetes in Skåne. By doing so, researchers hope to improve diagnosis and treatment of various kinds of diabetes. The project began in 2008.
Biobank of individuals with prostate cancer
The cohort consists of 900 individuals with prostate cancer who have attended an oncology clinic in Southern Sweden for therapy. The data gathering for the study began in 2007. The study includes a control group of 1000 men recruited among the accompanying partners of female cancer patients.
Biobank of individuals with prostate cancer
DIAPRIME
The study investigates how metabolic factors during pregnancy affect foetal development. The women in the study are aged between 20 and 40. The participants attend at least three visits during the pregnancy itself and one visit after childbirth. Blood samples are taken at each visit. During the course of the study, other investigations are also carried out, including continuous measurement of B glucose and physical activity. DIAPRIME is conducted in collaboration with Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Skåne University Hospital (SUS).
DiPiS
The DiPiS study (Diabetes Prediction in Skåne) was started in 2000-2004 with a selection of 46 000 newborn infants in Skåne. In total, close to 5 000 children started on a longitudinal investigation with annual check-ups of autoantibodies against the pancreatic islets’ beta cells. Children who develop one or more islet cell autoantibodies are monitored with beta cell function tests to prevent the onset of serious type 1 diabetes.
ENABLE-AGE
Within the framework of the European project ENABLE-AGE, 1 918 very elderly people who lived alone were studied in their ordinary homes in five countries, of whom 397 (80-89 years old) in Sweden. The aim of the project was to investigate objective properties in the homes of the elderly, to capture the elderly people’s subjective experience of their home, and to analyse how these factors interact with various aspects of health. Data collection for the Swedish selection was conducted in four rounds between 2002 and 2011.
EpiHealth
The aim of EpiHealth is to map the causes of our most common diseases among middle-aged and elderly people. The conditions studied include cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, dementia, depression, lung diseases, diabetes, obesity, joint and skeletal pain, as well as functional disability and quality of life. The study include about 25 000 inhabitants in Sweden who are aged between 45 and 75.
Ageing Well in Skåne (GÅS)
“Ageing Well in Skåne” started in 2001 and is one of four subprojects in the national project "The Swedish National study on Ageing and Care" (SNAC). Participants are invited to take part in the project through a random selection of people aged between 60 and 93 in five municipalities.
The purpose is to:
- get answers about future needs for healthcare and nursing
- get increased knowledge about the significance of the surroundings, lifestyle and previous illness for the health and well-being of the elderly
- identify risk factors for disease
- be able to relate the needs of the elderly to healthcare and nursing initiatives
Ageing Well in Skåne (GÅS) (in Swedish)
Malmö Preventive Medicine (MPP)
The project focuses on risk factors for cardiovascular disease, hidden alcoholism and lung disorders. The study engaged a total of around 33 000 women and men between 1974 and 1991. Around 18 000 of them took part in a follow-up investigation between 2002 and 2006.
Malmö Preventive Medicine (MPP)
The Malmö Diet and Cancer Study (MDC)
The study began in 1991 on the initiative of AFA Insurance and the Swedish Cancer Society. Its primary goal was to investigate the correlation between diet and consequent cancer risk. Approximately 28 000 women and men took part between 1991 and 1996. Between 2007 and 2012, follow-up investigations were conducted on just over 3 700 individuals, focusing on cardiovascular aspects among others.
Malmö Diet and Cancer Study (MDC)
Malmö Offspring Study (MOS)
Children and grandchildren of participants in the previous population study, the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study, were invited to take part. The aim is to follow how diseases cluster within a particular family, both through hereditary causes and lifestyle factors. The MOS invites the children and grandchildren of a total of 6 000 participants in the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study to take part.
The MISS cohort
The MISS cohort was started in 1990 and comprises 40 000 women aged between 26 and 65 in Skåne, randomly selected to take part in an interview concerning the risk factors for malignant melanoma and breast cancer. Approximately 74 per cent (29 508) of the women invited to participate chose to do so. None of the women had previously had cancer. The interviews were conducted between 1990 and 1992. The cohort was interviewed once more in 2000 and again in 2011. Between 2011 and 2013, DNA samples from saliva were also collected from the cohort.
Risk factors in patients with recurrent breast cancer
The cohort consists of 1 800 women with recurrent breastcancer, who have all been seen by doctors on the oncological ward at Skåne University Hospital in Lund. All patients were interviewed by their doctor, and tumour samples are available for approximately 30-40 per cent of the individuals. The data collection took place between 1980 and 2013. Various control populations have been used as control groups.
Risk factors in patients with recurrent breast cancer
SCAPIS
SCAPIS (Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study) aims to identify early markers of disease in the heart, blood vessels and lungs. The study covers most parts of the country and the subproject in Malmö ran between 2014 and 2018. 5 000 Malmö residents took part in a comprehensive health investigation, including tomography of the heart. In total, the study covers 30 000 people in Sweden. The principal funding body is the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation.
TEDDY
TEDDY (The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young) is an international research project aiming to find out what causes children to develop type 1 diabetes. In Sweden, the catchment area is Skåne. A selective study was conducted between 2004 and 2010, covering just over 48 000 newborn children. In an ongoing follow-up study, approximately 2 500 TEDDY children will be monitored until 2025. The principal funding body is the National Institutes of Health, USA (NIH).
TrialNet-Skåne
TrialNet-Skåne is part of an international network of researchers working to prevent, delay and counteract the development of type 1 diabetes. Around 15 clinical centres and their branches in various parts of the world are taking part in the study, with the aim of annually recruiting a total of 15 000-20 000 participants.
