Sareh Eghtesad۱,۲*, Zahra Mohammadi۱,۲*, Amaneh Shayanrad۲, Elnaz Faramarzi۳, Farahnaz Joukar۴, Behrooz Hamzeh۵, Mojtaba Farjam۶,
Mohammad Javad Zare Sakhvidi۷, Mohammadreza Miri-Monjar۸, Mahmood Moosazadeh۹, Hamid Hakimi۱۰, Salar Rahimi Kazerooni۱۱,
Bahman Cheraghian۱۲, Ali Ahmadi۱۳, Azim Nejatizadeh۱۴, Iraj Mohebbi۱۵, Farhad Pourfarzi۱۶, Farzin Roozafzai۲, Nazgol Motamed-Gorji۲,
Seyed Ali Montazeri۲, Sahar Masoudi۱۷, Masoumeh Amin-Esmaeili۱۸, Navid Danaie۱۹, Seyed Reza Mirhafez۲۰, Hasan Hashemi۲۱, Hossein
Poustchi۲•, Reza Malekzadeh۱,۱۷•
۱Digestive Disease Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
۲Liver and Pancreatobiliary Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
۳Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
۴Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases Research Center, Razi Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
۵Research Center for Environmental Determinants of Health, School of Public Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
۶Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
۷Department of Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
۸Health Promotion Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
۹Health Sciences Research Center, Addiction Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Science, Sari, Iran
۱۰Department of Cardiology, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
۱۱Department of Epidemiology, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
۱۲Research Center for Infectious Diseases of Digestive System, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur
University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
۱۳Health Research Center, Shahrekord University Medical of Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
۱۴Molecular Medicine Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
۱۵Social Determinants of Health Research Center, occupational Medicine Center, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
۱۶Digestive Diseases Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
۱۷Digestive Oncology Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
۱۸Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
۱۹Semnan Birth Cohort, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
۲۰Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran
۲۱Eye Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Published Online November 1, 2017
Abstract
In the past, communicable diseases caused the highest mortality in Iran. Improvements in socioeconomic status and living
standards including access to safe drinking water, along with the inception of Health Houses in the 1980s, have changed disease
patterns, decreasing the spread of and deaths from infectious and communicable diseases. The incidence and prevalence of
non-communicable diseases (NCD), however, have now increased in Iran, accounting for nearly 80% of deaths and disabilities.
Without interventions, NCD are predicted to impose a substantial human and economic burden in the next 2 decades. However,
Iran’s health system is not equipped with the necessary policies to combat this growth and must refocus and reform. Therefore,
in the year 2013, the Ministry of Health and Medical Education funded a well-designed nationwide cohort study—Prospective
Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN)—in order to assess the burden of NCD and investigate the risk factors
associated with them in the different ethnicities and geographical areas of Iran. The PERSIAN Cohort, which aims to include
۲۰۰۰۰۰ participants, has 4 components: Adult (main), Birth, Youth and Elderly, which are being carried out in 22 different regions
of Iran. Having an enormous dataset along with a biobank of blood, urine, hair and nail samples, the PERSIAN Cohort will serve as
an important infrastructure for future implementation research and will provide the evidence needed for new healthcare policies
in order to better control, manage and prevent NCD.
Keywords: PERSIAN, Cohort, NCD, Iran
Cite this article as: Eghtesad S, Mohammadi Z, Shayanrad A, Faramarzi E, Joukar F, Hamzeh B, et al. The PERSIAN Cohort:
providing the evidence needed for healthcare reform. Arch Iran Med. 2017;20(11):691–۶۹۵