Agricultural Health Study: Health Followup

Official Summary

Background: \- The Agricultural Health Study (AHS) is looking at the long-term health effects of farming exposures including pesticides, crops, and animals. The chronic health effects of exposure to pesticides are easier to study in farmers and their spouses. They know what chemicals they use and tend to live in the same place for most of their adult lives. AHS participants are expected to report any changes in their health. This includes any new medical conditions. Researchers want to follow up on these reports to confirm their accuracy. Objectives: \- To follow up AHS participants who have self-reported that they have a new disease and confirm their diagnosis. Eligibility: \- Current AHS participants. Design: * Researchers will confirm self-reported changes in medical conditions by contacting the AHS participant to ask for more information. * The AHS participant will give permission for researchers to contact their doctor to look at their medical records. They will also be asked to provide a cheek swab or saliva sample. * Diseases of interest are rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and Sjogren s Syndrome. Other diseases will be followed up in the future. Other diseases will be followed up in the future.

Study Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Enrollment: 89,656 participants

Primary Outcomes

• The purpose of the current protocol is three-fold: 1) update information on medical history and other important covariates through ongoing follow-up interviews of the cohort; 2) validate self-reported diseases among cohort participants over the ... (Various phases of follow-up; diseases are validated as they are ascertained)

Eligibility Criteria

* INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

All members of the AHS cohort who were eligible for the Phase 3 interview were eligible for the Phase 4 health follow-up. We will apply the same eligibility criteria for future cohort-wide follow-ups. Individuals who only completed the enrollment questionnaire were excluded from Phase 3 eligibility. Depending upon the disease outcome of interest, we may conduct the disease confirmation and validation efforts under this protocol among all participants in the AHS who provided self-reported diagnoses at any interview (e.g. Baseline, or Phases 2-4). For individuals who are unable to participate, we will allow a proxy to provide the information.

For the validation efforts, individuals who do not confirm their diagnosis of interest (via self or proxy report) will not be asked to provide physician contact for medical records. For specimen collection, we will ask the proxy respondent about whether the individual would be able to provide a sample. In order to obtain MRR we will allow the participant or their medical proxy to sign the form. For cases who are cognitively impaired or deceased, a medical proxy will be identified.

Determination of cognitive impairment will be made by report of proxy or by interviewer during conversation with participant. Because the AHS enrolled husband - wife pairs, we should be able to identify an appropriate proxy for most participants.

Trial Locations

• University of Iowa, Iowa City, Illinois, United States
• NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States
• Batelle, Inc., Columbus, Ohio, United States

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