Determination of sphingosine-1-phosphate, ceramides, sphingomyelins and phosphatidylcholines in the population-based cohorts SHIP-START-1 and SHIP-TREND-0 and their association with cardiovascular diseases and mortality.

According to the World Health Organization 17.9 million people die due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) each year, this being the leading cause of death (31%) worldwide. The aim of the current project is to determine plasma levels of shingosine-1-phosphate, ceramides, sphingomyelins and phosphatidylcholines in two independent population-based cohorts of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP). We will use the first follow-up examination of the initial SHIP-START cohort, SHIP-START-1, and the baseline examination of the independent SHIP-TREND cohort, SHIP-TREND-0. This will enable us to calculate e.g. the two risk scores CERT1 and CERT2 in our cohort and we will investigate how these biomarkers levels and scores are associated with cardiovascular diseases like prevalent CVD, CHD, atherosclerosis or myocardial infarction as well as all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in our two independent cohorts.