title: The Danish Twin Registry in the new millennium.
abstract: The Danish Twin Registry is the oldest national twin register in the world, initiated in 1954, and, by the end of 2005, contained more than 75,000 twin pairs born in the between 1870 and 2004. The Danish Twin Registry is used as a source for studies on the genetic influence on normal variation in clinical parameters associated with the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases, clinical studies of specific diseases, and aging and age-related health problems. The combination of survey data, clinical data and linkage to national health-related registers enables follow-up studies of both the general twin population and twins from clinical studies. This paper summarizes the newest extension of the register and gives examples of new developments and phenotypes studied.
authors.affiliation: The Danish Twin Registry, Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, J.B.Winløws Vej 9B, DK-5000 Odense C, Denmark. askytthe@health.sdu.dk
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Skytthe
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kyvik
authors.forename: Lise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bathum
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Holm
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Vaupel
authors.forename: Kaare
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Christensen
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics; D000505:Alopecia / Q000235:genetics; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D012042:Registries; D018433:Twin Studies as Topic / Q000639:trends*; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic; D049951:X Chromosome Inactivation