Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Summary

The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) is a study of the characteristics of subclinical cardiovascular disease and the risk factors that predict progression to clinically overt cardiovascular disease or progression of the subclinical disease (Bild DE et al., Am J Epidemiol 2002; 156(9):871-881). MESA consists of a diverse, community-based sample of an initial 6,814 men and women aged 45-84 years without known cardiovascular disease at baseline. Thirty-eight percent of the recruited participants were White, 28 percent African American, 22 percent Hispanic, and 12 percent of Chinese descent. Participants were recruited from six field centers across the United States: Baltimore City and Baltimore County, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; Forsyth County, North Carolina; Los Angeles County, California; New York, New York; and St. Paul, Minnesota. Participants are being followed for identification and characterization of cardiovascular disease events, including acute myocardial infarction and other forms of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and heart failure; for cardiovascular disease interventions; and for mortality. The first examination took place over two years, from July 2000 to July 2002, and has been followed by additional examinations. Participants have been contacted every 9 to 12 months throughout the study to assess and adjudicate clinical morbidity and mortality. The study was approved by the Institutional review boards at all participating institutions, and all participants gave written informed consent. In addition, informed consent was obtained for extensive data sharing (dbGaP) and genetic/omic studies, including candidate genes (NHLBI CARe), genome-wide scans (NHLBI SHARe), exome sequencing (NHLBI ESP) and, most recently, the NHLBI TOPMed program.

Conditions

• Atherosclerosis
• Cardiovascular Diseases
• Heart Diseases
• Coronary Artery Disease
• Coronary Disease
• Stroke
• Myocardial Infarction
• Heart Failure
• Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
• Hypertension
• Diabetes Mellitus

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

  lead NIH

Principal Investigators

• Robyn McClelland · University of Washington

• Steven Shea · Columbia University

• Wendy Post · Johns Hopkins University

• Norrina Allen · Northwestern University

• Karol Watson · University of California, Los Angeles

• James Pankow · University of Minnesota

• Nels Olson · University of Vermont (biospecimen repository)

• Alain Bertoni · Wake Forest University

Eligibility

Min Age

45 Years

Max Age

84 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

1999-01-31

Primary Completion

2030-12-31

Completion

2030-12-31