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Assessment of cerebrovascular disease in the Cardiovascular Health Study
T R Price1, B Psaty, D O'Leary
1Department of Neurology, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore 21201.
Insights
The Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) describes stroke risk factors in older adults. This research provides baseline data on stroke and transient ischemic attacks prevalence in individuals aged 65 and above.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Cardiovascular Disease Research
Background:
- The Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) is a significant population-based, longitudinal study.
- It focuses on coronary heart disease and stroke in adults aged 65 years and older.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) methodology.
- To detail the methods for assessing stroke within the CHS cohort.
- To report the prevalence of stroke and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) at baseline.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 5201 participants from Medicare eligibility lists across four US communities.
- Conducted comprehensive baseline evaluations including historical, physical, and laboratory assessments (1989-1990).
- Employed periodic follow-ups to verify incident cardiovascular and stroke events.
Main Results:
- Presents the initial prevalence of stroke and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) in the CHS cohort.
- Identified baseline risk factors and subclinical disease indicators.
Conclusions:
- The CHS provides a foundational dataset for understanding stroke and cardiovascular disease in older populations.
- Future analyses are expected to yield insights into stroke mortality trends.
Abstract:
The Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) is a longitudinal population-based study of coronary heart disease and stroke in men and women 65 years and older. The initial CHS cohort consisted of 5201 men and women recruited from a random sample of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) Medicare eligibility lists in four communities in the United States. Extensive historical, physical, and laboratory evaluations were performed at the baseline examination in 1989 to 1990 to identify risk factors and subclinical disease. Periodic contacts are carried out to ascertain and verify incident cardiac and stroke events and their sequelae. Since only a short time has passed since entry of all the patients into the study, data are not available on time trends in the mortality rate of stroke, but we expect to contribute in this area in the years ahead. This article then is a description of the CHS, of methods of assessing stroke in the CHS cohort, and of prevalence of stroke and transient ischemic attacks at the initial examination.