title: The International Database of Ambulatory Blood Pressure in relation to Cardiovascular Outcome (IDACO): protocol and research perspectives.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The International Database on Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (1993-1994) lacked a prospective dimension. We are constructing a new resource of longitudinal population studies to investigate with great precision to what extent the ambulatory blood pressure improves risk stratification.
  
  
  METHODS
  The acronym IDACO refers to the new International Database of Ambulatory blood pressure in relation to Cardiovascular Outcome. Eligible studies are population based, have fatal as well as nonfatal outcomes available for analysis, comply with ethical standards, and have been previously published in peer-reviewed journals. In a meta-analysis based on individual patient data, composite and cause-specific cardiovascular events will be related to various indexes derived by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. The analyses will be stratified by cohort and adjusted for the conventional blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  To date, the international database includes 7609 patients from four cohorts recruited in Copenhagen, Denmark (n=2311), Noorderkempen, Belgium (n=2542), Ohasama, Japan (n=1535), and Uppsala, Sweden (n=1221). In these four cohorts, during a total of 69,295 person-years of follow-up (median 9.3 years), 1026 patients died and 929 participants experienced a fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular event. Follow-up in five other eligible cohorts, involving a total of 4027 participants, is still in progress. We expect that this follow-up will be completed by the end of 2007.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The international database of ambulatory blood pressure in relation to cardiovascular outcome will provide a shared resource to investigate risk stratification by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring to an extent not possible in any earlier individual study.
authors.affiliation: Studies Coordinating Centre, Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Lutgarde
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thijs
authors.forename: Tine W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kikuya
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Björklund-Bodegård
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Eamon
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dolan
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tikhonoff
authors.forename: Jitka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seidlerová
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuznetsova
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stolarz
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Richart
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Casiglia
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Malyutina
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Filipovsky
authors.forename: Kalina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawecka-Jaszcz
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nikitin
authors.forename: Takayoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohkubo
authors.forename: Edgardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sandoya
authors.forename: Jiguang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Torp-Pedersen
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lind
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ibsen
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.forename: Jan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Staessen
authors.forename: Eoin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: O'Brien
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001530:Belgium; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D007564:Japan; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013548:Sweden