Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death worldwide. KORA has contributed significantly to a better understanding of risk factors, early detection and prevention. Technologies such as OMICs analyses and artificial intelligence help to identify health risks from air pollution, climate change and heatwaves.
As early as 1997, researchers were able to show that air pollution promotes systemic inflammatory reactions. Subsequent studies have shown that elevated CRP levels can predict coronary heart disease and cardiovascular mortality - findings that have been incorporated into stricter air quality guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the EU.
‘KORA is a flagship study at Helmholtz Munich that has had a significant impact on health policy measures and has sustainably expanded our knowledge of disease prevention and treatment,’ says Annette Peters, Director of the Institute of Epidemiology at Helmholtz Munich and Principal Investigator at the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK).
Impact of climate change on chronic diseases
Current studies are investigating how extreme temperatures affect people with high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or the lung disease COPD. An ongoing study is recording the health consequences of hot and cold spells over a period of 15 months. The aim is to develop specific protection strategies to better protect vulnerable population groups.
Diabetes and genetic research
Earlier KORA analyses showed that almost half of 55- to 74-year-olds with type 2 diabetes were undiagnosed, which has had a significant impact on preventive measures. Since 2005, KORA has also been contributing to genetic research and providing valuable data for epigenetic studies. It has been shown that epigenetic changes caused by obesity not only increase the risk of disease, but can also be passed on to future generations.
KORA also contributes to a better understanding of health risks in different population groups. In 2025, a digitally supported lifestyle intervention study will be launched to investigate how effective personalised digital health programmes are in helping people achieve their health goals.
Source: Press release Helmholtz Zentrum München German Research Centre for Environmental Health
