Dallas Heart Study 2: Return Clinic Visit for the Dallas Heart Study Cohort
Condition: Atherosclerosis; Congestive Heart Failure; Left Ventricular Hypertrophy; Diabetes Mellitus; Hypertension; Obesity; Metabolic Syndrome X; Myocardial Infarction
MeSH terms: Hypertension; Heart Failure; Myocardial Infarction; Atherosclerosis; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular; Metabolic Syndrome; Infarction; Hypertrophy
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      The Dallas Heart Study (DHS-1) is a large, multi-ethnic, population-based epidemiological
      study designed to identify determinants of atherosclerotic heart disease (ASHD) in a
      representative United States (US) urban environment. This study completed enrollment in 2003.

      Our objective is to pinpoint factors contributing to progression:

        1. from health to ASHD risk;

        2. from ASHD risk to subclinical ASHD; and

        3. from subclinical to clinical ASHD.

      Identification of the critical factors in these transitions will enable targeted
      implementation of appropriate therapy to interdict before clinical ASHD develops.
    

Detailed description: 
      Early medical intervention in asymptomatic individuals at risk is the most effective strategy
      to combat atherosclerotic heart disease (ASHD). The major roadblock to effective ASHD
      prevention is that conventional tools to assess ASHD risk are inadequate and new methods are
      needed to identify susceptible individuals before the disease process is established. Other
      successful public-health screening programs have incorporated direct imaging procedures (e.g.
      mammography, colonoscopy); yet in ASHD, direct imaging of the vasculature has not been
      incorporated into the risk stratification algorithms.

      The Dallas Heart Study (DHS-1) is a large, multi-ethnic, population-based epidemiological
      study designed to identify determinants of ASHD in a representative US urban environment.
      This study completed enrollment in 2003.

      In DHS-2 we will transform the Dallas Heart Study from a cross-sectional health survey
      (DHS-1) into a longitudinal cohort study (DHS-2). We will perform state-of-the-art
      cardiovascular (CV) imaging coupled to biomarkers, genetic markers and classical ASHD risk
      factors. We will repeat the detailed clinical phenotyping performed between 2000-2003 to
      capture interval changes in ASHD risk and disease burden. Our objective is to pinpoint
      factors contributing to progression:

        1. from health to ASHD risk;

        2. from ASHD risk to subclinical ASHD; and

        3. from subclinical to clinical ASHD.

      Identification of the critical factors in these transitions will enable targeted
      implementation of appropriate therapy to interdict before clinical ASHD develops.
    

Observational model: Cohort
Time perspective: Prospective
Sampling method: Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Adults who participated in DHS-1. The study will include equal numbers of men and women and
        will include 50% African Americans
      
Biospecimen description: 
      Plasma Serum DNA
    
Keywords: Atherosclerosis; Heart Failure; Ventricular Hypertrophy; Myocardial Infarction; Screening; Hypertension; Diabetes; Obesity; Metabolic Syndrome