Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T18:59:09.528Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Genetic and Environmental Factors in Complex Diseases: The Older Finnish Twin Cohort

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Jaakko Kaprio  and
Markku Koskenvuo
Jaakko Kaprio*
Affiliation:
University of Helsinki and National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finlandjaakko.kaprio@helsinki.fi
Markku Koskenvuo
Affiliation:
University of Turku, Finland
*
*Address for correspondence: Jaakko Kaprio, Professor of Public Health, Dept. of Public Health, University of Helsinki, PO Box 41, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland.

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In studies on the Finnish Twin Cohort, we investigate genetic and environmental determinants of common, complex diseases, and their behavioral risk factors in Finland, a genetically unique and culturally homogenous population. We have formed the following databases: 1) Like-sexed twin pairs (13,888 pairs of known zygosity) form the older Twin Cohort. They have participated since 1975 in mail surveys, in clinical examinations for subsamples, and have been followed-up for morbidity using national medical registers; 2) The older Twin Cohort was expanded in 1996 to include opposite-sex pairs born 1938–1957 (c. 8000 pairs); 3) Two, new longitudinal studies of adolescent twins and their families, form a complementary, ongoing study base described in more detail in an accompanying article. Genetic and environmental effects vary over the life-span, and only longitudinal studies in genetically informative data sets permits the evaluation of such effects. Finally, the inclusion of DNA-based genetic information in a phenotypically rich family data base will offer a unique resource for research in genetic epidemiology and behavioral medicine.

Type
Articles/Finland
Information
Twin Research and Human Genetics , Volume 5 , Issue 5 , 01 October 2002 , pp. 358 - 365
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2002