Twin Cohorts Using Linked Administrative Data: A Rapid Review

Twin research is increasingly integrating administrative data, from hospital, birth, and education registers, to understand human behavior, health, and disease. This includes administrative data to supplement existing twin-cohort databases or to identify new twin cohorts from only administrative datasets. We conducted a rapid review to identify twin cohorts that were collecting linked administrative data. We searched the Medline database and the Atlas of Longitudinal Cohort Studies for such twin studies. This included twin studies either linking data to pre-existing cohorts or studies identifying twin cohorts in administrative data. We identified 117 manuscripts or profiles featuring 47 unique twin cohorts and two multicohort consortia using linked administrative data, from countries across most global regions. We summarize how these cohorts were established, the data collected, and the size of the cohorts. We then discuss opportunities, challenges, and future research in twin research using linked administrative data.