BRUN – Bruneck Study
Principal contacts
Johann Willeit - Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Stefan Kiechl - Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Peter Willeit - Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Study design
The Bruneck Study is a general population study based in Bruneck, Italy. The study was launched in summer 1990 when a sex- and age-stratified random sample of all inhabitants of Bruneck (n=1,000) was invited to participate in the study. The Bruneck Study is characterised by its long-term follow-up, since follow-ups were conducted every five years with the last follow-up ending in 2018. The initial principal aim of the study was to investigate atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, but it quickly extended its focus to many age-dependent diseases such as neurological diseases, disorders of the bone, and cancer. The ethics committees of Verona and Bolzano approved the study protocol, and all study subjects gave their written informed consent before entering the study.
Funding
The Bruneck Study is supported by the “Pustertaler Verein zur Vorbeugung von Herz- und Hirngefässerkrankungen,” the “Gesundheitsbezirk Bruneck,” and the “Sanitätsbetrieb Südtirol,” province of Bolzano, Italy.
Key publications
The natural course of atherosclerosis. Part I: incidence and progression. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1999 Jun;19(6):1484-90
The natural course of atherosclerosis. Part II: vascular remodeling. Bruneck Study Group. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1999 Jun;19(6):1491-8
In a Nutshell: Findings from the Bruneck Study. Gerontology. 2019;65(1):9-19