KORA cohort (Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg)

KORA is a prospective population-based adult cohort study in the Region of Augsburg, Germany. Its research focus is diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, health in old age, allergies and the environment.

Our website for the participants of the KORA study can be found here (in German).

KORA is a prospective population-based adult cohort study in the Region of Augsburg, Germany. Its research focus is diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, health in old age, allergies and the environment.

Our website for the participants of the KORA study can be found here (in German).

The KORA cohort (Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg) consists of four cross-sectional baseline surveys from 1984 – 2001. In total, 17.602 participants were randomly selected from population registries in the study region. Follow-up studies are carried out at regular intervals for over 38 years now. The KORA research platform is financed by Helmholtz Munich, third party funding and KORA collaborating partners.

At baseline, the KORA cohort consists of four independent random samples with the inclusion criteria: main place of residence in the study area, German nationality and aged 25 to 74 years (64 in S1). The cohort is in active follow-up.

slide 1 bunt KORA_Study Design Update 20240318

The KORA Study Area is the Region of Augsburg, in the Southeast of Germany, about 70 km west of Munich. It consists of the City of Augsburg and the two adjacent more rural districts Augsburg and Aichach-Friedberg.

The KORA Study Centre is located in the premises of the Augsburg "Glaspalast", in the east of the city centre of Augsburg - today's textile quarter. Data collection is carried out in cooperation with the Augsburg University Hospital.

Study Center Page

The KORA research platform was initiated in 1996 and is based on the international MONICA (MONItoring trends and determinants in CArdiovascular disease) Project in the Region of Augsburg conducted by the World Health Organisation from 1984 to 1995.

The large medical and OMICs database are the basis of excellent health research with more than 2,000 published publications. The KORA biosample collection consists mainly of blood, serum, plasma, DNA, urin and stool. The samples are stored in the modern Biobank facility at Helmholtz Munich.

View Helmholtz Biobank

A row of human blood samples in a medical laboratory ready to be tested. healthcare background 3D illustration.

Prof. Dr. Annette Peters

Director of the Institute of Epidemiology

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Dr. Birgit Linkohr

Head of KORA Study Coordination

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Dr. Harald Grallert

Head of Research Group 'Diabetes and Related Traits', Scientist

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Dr. Christian Gieger

Head of Research Unit 'Molecular Epidemiology', Scientist

Dr. Margit Heier

Head of the KORA Study Center

KORA data and biosamples are available upon request by means of a project agreement subject to approval by the KORA Board. Via the KORA.PASST tool, scientists can view and download data dictionaries of the different KORA surveys and submit a proposal.

Please apply for KORA data or biosamples at the KORA.PASST website

Internal KORA.PASST agents (data owner, HAWI, admin, board) access

If you have any questions, please contact KORA.PASST@helmholtz-munich.de

Würfel mit Fragezeichen auf den Seiten und Ausrufezeichen oben auf einer Tastatur

KORA at maelstrom

KORA in MORGAM

OMICs web services für SNiPA, GWAS, metaP

KORA at NFDI4Health

KORA Biobank

Linkohr B, Heier M, Gieger C, Thorand B, Grallert H, Holle R, Karrasch S, Koenig W, Ladwig KH, Laxy M, Lorenz-Depiereux B, Rospleszcz S, Schneider A, Schulz H, Schwettmann L, Standl M, Waldenberger M, Wang-Sattler R, Wolf K, Dallavalle M, Rückert-Eheberg IM, Schneider A, Leidl R, Wichmann HE, Peters A.

Cohort Profile: Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg (KORA) 1984–2024

Global Cardiovascular Risk Consortium; Magnussen C, Alegre-Diaz J, [...], Peters A et al.

Global Effect of Cardiovascular Risk Factors on Lifetime Estimates

Rückert-Eheberg IM, Heier M, Simon M, Kraus M, Peters A, Linkohr B.

Public attitudes towards personal health data sharing in long-term epidemiological research: a Citizen Science approach in the KORA study

Eissa T, Huber M, Obermayer-Pietsch B, Linkohr B, Peters A, Fleischmann F, Žigman M.

CODI: Enhancing machine learning-based molecular profiling through contextual out-of-distribution integration

NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)

Worldwide trends in hypertension prevalence and progress in treatment and control from 1990 to 2019: a pooled analysis of 1201 population-representative studies with 104 million participants

Holle R, Happich M, Löwel H, Wichmann HE.

KORA - A Research Platform for Population Based Health Research

Wichmann HE, Gieger C, Illig T.