Overview and Protocol

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 et al., 2002). MESA consists of a diverse, population-based sample of an initial 6,814 men and women aged 45-84 without known cardiovascular disease. 38 percent of the recruited participants were White, 28 percent African American, 22 percent Hispanic, and 12 percent Chinese. Participants were recruited from six field centers across the United States: Wake Forest University, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and University of California - Los Angeles. 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 congestive heart failure; for cardiovascular disease interventions; and for mortality. The first examination took place over two years, from July 2000 - July 2002. It was followed by six additional examination periods. Participants have been contacted every 9 to 12 months throughout the study to assess and adjudicate clinical morbidity and mortality. 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.