Background
The CARLA study is a population-based, cardiovascular epidemiological cohort study examining a representative sample of residents of the city of Halle (Saale). A total of exactly 1779 men and women aged 45-83 years participated at the time of the baseline examination from December 2002 to January 2006.
The aim of the study is to assess cardiovascular morbidity and mortality as well as associated risk factors and prognostic factors in the elderly general population by means of a comprehensive examination program and interviews. Analysis of the heart rate variability was of particular interest.
Further examinations of the participants took place in the subsequent years from 2007 to 2010 and in 2013. The option of an invitation to participate in a further study was already included in the original design and in the consent of the participants.
With regard to changes in health over time, it is particularly valuable to be able to illustrate longer periods of time and to observe the trajectories of health parameters over time.
For this reason, a new examination of the CARLA participants will take place between 2020 and 2022.
The original focus of CARLA on cardiovascular diseases will be supplemented by studies on parameters of cognition and questions on healthy aging. Experiences from the National Cohort (NAKO) as well as modern measurement methods, which have been (further) developed since the baseline study of CARLA, will also be included in the investigations.
