Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in Sweden and worldwide today. Our research group investigates various risk factors for cardiovascular disease. By linking national registers and databases with Västerbotten's unique population surveys, we can follow risk factor patterns within individuals for more than half a century. We can thus study temporal relationships between different risk factors, and analyze how these affect the risk of cardiovascular disease in different phases of life. We particularly focus on the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of high blood pressure, as well as diseases of the aorta.