HCA - CT- M2
lolo1339
theframinghamheart.docx2.4 THE FRAMINGHAM HEART
STUDY
We now describe one of the world’s most wellknown
studies of risk factors for cardiovascular
disease. The Framingham Heart Study started in
1948 with the enrollment of a cohort of just over
5000 individuals free of cardiovascular disease who
were living in the town of Framingham,
Massachusetts. The Framingham Heart Study is a
longitudinal cohort study that involves repeated
assessments of the participants approximately
every 2 years. The study celebrated its fiftieth
anniversary in 1998 and it still continues today. The
original cohort has been assessed over 30 times. At
each assessment, complete physical examinations
are conducted (e.g., vital signs, blood pressure,
medication history), blood samples are taken to
measure lipid levels and novel risk factors, and
participants also have echocardiograms in addition
to other assessments of cardiovascular functioning.
In the early 1970s, approximately 5000 offspring of
the original cohort and their spouses were enrolled
into what is called the Framingham Offspring cohort
(the second generation of the original cohort).
These participants have been followed
approximately every 4 years and have been
1
assessed over nine times. In the early 2000s, a third
generation of over 4000 participants was enrolled
and are being followed approximately every 4 years.
Over the past 50 years, hundreds of papers have
been published from the Framingham Heart Study
identifying important risk factors for cardiovascular
disease, such as smoking, blood pressure,
cholesterol, physical inactivity, and diabetes. The
Framingham Heart Study also identified risk factors
for stroke, heart failure, and peripheral artery
disease. Researchers have identified psychosocial
risk factors for heart disease, and now, with three
generations of participants in the Framingham
Study, investigators are assessing genetic risk
factors for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular
disease. More details on the Framingham Heart
Study, its design, investigators, research
milestones, and publications can be found at
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/framingham and
at
http://www.bu.edu/alumni/bostonia/2005/summer/pdfs/heart.
2.4 THE FRAMINGHAM HEART
STUDY
We now describe one of the world
’
s most wellknown
studies of risk factors for cardiovascula
r
disease. The Framingham Heart Study started in
1948 with the enrollment of a cohort of just over
5000 individuals free of cardiovascular disease who
were living in the town of Framingham,
Massachusetts. The Framingham Heart Study is a
longitudinal cohort
study that involves repeated
assessments of the participants approximately
every 2 years. The study celebrated its fiftieth
anniversary in 1998 and it still continues today. The
original cohort has been assessed over 30 times. At
each assessment, complete
physical examinations
are conducted (e.g., vital signs, blood pressure,
medication history), blood samples are taken to
measure lipid levels and novel risk factors, and
participants also have echocardiograms in addition
to other assessments of cardiovascu
lar functioning.
In the early 1970s, approximately 5000 offspring of
the original cohort and their spouses were enrolled
into what is called the Framingham Offspring cohort
(the second generation of the original cohort).
These participants have been follow
ed
approximately every 4 years and have been
1
2.4 THE FRAMINGHAM HEART
STUDY
We now describe one of the world’s most wellknown
studies of risk factors for cardiovascular
disease. The Framingham Heart Study started in
1948 with the enrollment of a cohort of just over
5000 individuals free of cardiovascular disease who
were living in the town of Framingham,
Massachusetts. The Framingham Heart Study is a
longitudinal cohort study that involves repeated
assessments of the participants approximately
every 2 years. The study celebrated its fiftieth
anniversary in 1998 and it still continues today. The
original cohort has been assessed over 30 times. At
each assessment, complete physical examinations
are conducted (e.g., vital signs, blood pressure,
medication history), blood samples are taken to
measure lipid levels and novel risk factors, and
participants also have echocardiograms in addition
to other assessments of cardiovascular functioning.
In the early 1970s, approximately 5000 offspring of
the original cohort and their spouses were enrolled
into what is called the Framingham Offspring cohort
(the second generation of the original cohort).
These participants have been followed
approximately every 4 years and have been
1
