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AlzRisk Cohort Detail
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Cohort: Religious Orders Study
Website: http://www.rush.edu/rumc/page-1099611542043.html
Risk Factors: Blood Pressure,
Cognitive Activity,
Diabetes Mellitus,
Hormone Therapy,
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs,
Obesity,
Physical Activity,
Statin use

Introduction to the Cohort
Beginning in 1994, investigators for the Religious Orders Study (ROS) recruited older Catholic nuns, priests and brothers from across the United States to participate in their longitudinal study of neurologic and cognitive aging. As of June 2007, the ROS had enrolled 1,025 individuals who were free of dementia at baseline evaluation. Enrollment continues. Since enrollment, participants have undergone annual evaluations. At enrollment, members of the cohort were, on average, 75.1 years old; 69% were female.

Ethnicity Breakdown
Approximately 89% of the cohort members were white.

Diagnosis & Evaluation Methods
For a detailed description, see Bennett DA, et al. 2002.

References
Arvanitakis Z, Grodstein F, Bienias JL, Schneider JA, Wilson RS, Kelly JF, Evans DA, Bennett DA. Relation of NSAIDs to incident AD, change in cognitive function, and AD pathology. Neurology. 2008 Jun 3;70(23):2219-25.

Bennett DA, Wilson RS, Schneider JA, Evans DA, Beckett LA, Aggarwal NT, Barnes LL, Fox JH, Bach J. Natural history of mild cognitive impairment in older persons. Neurology. 2002 Jul 23;59(2):198-205.

Buchman AS, Wilson RS, Bienias JL, Shah RC, Evans DA, Bennett DA. Change in body mass index and risk of incident Alzheimer disease. Neurology. 2005 Sep 27;65(6):892-7.