The Nordic medical birth registers--a potential goldmine for clinical research.
The Nordic medical birth registers have long been used for valuable clinical research. Their collection of data for more than four decades offers unusual possibilities for research across generations. At the same time, serum and blotting paper blood samples have been stored from most neonates. Two large cohorts (approximately 100 000 births) in Denmark and Norway have been described by questionnaires, interviews and collection of biological samples (blood, urine and milk teeth), as well as a systematic prospective follow-up of the offspring. National patient registers provide information on preceding, underlying and present health problems of the parents and their offspring. Researchers may, with permission from the national authorities, obtain access to individualized or anonymized data from the registers and tissue-banks. These data allow for multivariate analyses but their usefulness depends on knowledge of the specific registers and biological sample banks and on proper validation of the registers.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Jens
J
Langhoff-Roos
Lone
L
Krebs
Kari
K
Klungsøyr
Ragnheidur I
RI
Bjarnadottir
Karin
K
Källén
Anna-Maija
AM
Tapper
Maija
M
Jakobsson
Per E
PE
Børdahl
Pelle G
PG
Lindqvist
Karin
K
Gottvall
Lotte Berdiin
LB
Colmorn
Mika
M
Gissler
D000328:Adult; D018070:Biological Specimen Banks; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000379:methods*; D001719:Birth Certificates; D019992:Databases as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D054238:Perinatal Mortality; D011247:Pregnancy; D012042:Registries; D012537:Scandinavian and Nordic Countries
Register research; bio banks; medical birth register; obstetrics; validation