Scientific Concept of the National Cohort (status ... - Nationale Kohorte

Contents
XIII
Contents
A.1 INTrOduCTION ANd OvErvIEw .................................................................. 1
A.1.1 Societal and economic burden of chronic disease in Germany .............. 1
A.1.2 Prospective cohorts as an indispensable tool for health research ........ 1
A.1.3 The National Cohort: Overview of study design ....................................... 2
A.1.4 Scientific aims of the National Cohort ........................................................ 6
A.1.5 Arguments for a large cohort in Germany ............................................... 12
A.1.6 Justification of sample size requirements ............................................... 15
A.1.7 Outlook: The National Cohort as basis for collaborations
and further research projects ................................................................... 16
A.1.8 Preparatory work for the National Cohort ................................................ 19
A.2 SCIENTIfIC BACkGrOuNd ANd rATIONAlE fOr STudy
ElEmENTS ........................................................................................................ 21
A.2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 21
A.2.2 major disease outcomes of core focus .................................................... 23
A.2.2.1 Cardiovascular diseases ............................................................... 24
A.2.2.2 Diabetes mellitus .......................................................................... 26
A.2.2.3 Cancer ........................................................................................... 27
A.2.2.4 Neurologic and psychiatric diseases .............................................. 28
A.2.2.5 Respiratory diseases ..................................................................... 32
A.2.2.6 Infectious diseases ........................................................................ 33
A.2.3 Intermediate (preclinical) phenotypes and function measurements ... 35
A.2.3.1 Cardiovascular functions and preclinical phenotypes ..................... 35
A.2.3.2 Diabetes-related functional measurements and
preclinical phenotypes ................................................................... 36
A.2.3.3 Cancer-related precursor stages ................................................... 38
A.2.3.4 Intermediate stages of neurologic and psychiatric diseases .......... 39
A.2.3.5 Respiratory function and preclinical phenotype ............................. 39
A.2.3.6 Musculoskeletal functions and phenotypes .................................... 40