Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study (CARDIA)
What is the goal of the CARDIA study?
The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study aims to identify factors that begin in young adulthood, which is two to three decades before the onset of cardiovascular disease in later life. The CARDIA study is designed to examine the factors that contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease, as well as to better understand the natural history of cardiovascular disease over the entire adult life.
AT A GLANCE
- CARDIA is a long-term study of cardiovascular disease beginning in young adulthood.
- The study includes over 5,000 black and white adults who were aged 18 to 30 years in 1985 to 1986.
- CARDIA has been following participants for over 35 years, making it one of the longest running studies of its kind.
- The study has helped researchers understand the importance of early adulthood factors that raise the risk of cardiovascular disease later in life.
What are the key findings of the CARDIA study?
Long-term studies like the CARDIA study are critical to uncovering the root causes of cardiovascular disease beginning early in life. Over the last 35 years, findings from the CARDIA study have contributed greatly to our knowledge about the importance of lifestyle and environmental factors in the development of cardiovascular disease later in life.
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Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study (CARDIA)
How was the CARDIA study conducted?
The CARDIA study was initially funded in 1983 to follow participants over a five-year cycle, collecting data from the participants’ two clinical exams. The study began with a group of 5,115 Black and White men and women aged 18 to 30 years between 1985 and 86. Participant selection ensured a roughly equal number of people in subgroups of race, gender, education (high school or less and more than high school), and age (18 to 24 and 25 to 30) in each of four centers: Birmingham, Alabama; Chicago, Illinois; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Oakland, California.
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Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study (CARDIA)
FEATURE
The NHLBI Large-Scale DNA Sequencing Project provided an opportunity for researchers to scour thousands of DNA sequences in extremely fine detail, including genomic information from the CARDIA study. The goal of the project was to discover specific genetic variants that map precisely with disease phenotypes.