The Framingham Cardiac Study began in 1948 to determine how certain risk factors contribute to heart disease. The study identified controllable and uncontrollable factors and developed the Framingham Risk Score to assess the possibility of heart disease. The study has been criticized for following a predominantly white population, but expansions have increased diversity.
The Framingham Cardiac Study is a long-term cardiovascular study that began in 1948. The study’s goal was to follow a specific population over time to determine how certain risk factors contribute to heart disease. The original study population included more than 5,000 subjects from Framingham, Massachusetts, who were followed for 30 years. The Framingham Heart Study is credited with identifying the risk factors that cause heart disease. The study found that uncontrollable factors include age and genetics, while controllable factors include obesity, cholesterol levels, and whether the participants smoked, among others.
Participants in the Framingham Heart Study were randomly selected from the city and ranged in age from 30 to 62 years. Along with initial interviews regarding family and medical history, their health was assessed each year. This evaluation included a physical exam and numerous laboratory tests as the subjects were screened for a variety of heart-related health conditions. The study is generally recognized as the source of the term risk factor and found that family history and lifestyle choices were important indicators of one’s likelihood of developing heart disease.
The results of the Framingham study helped establish firm evidence for many of the causes of heart disease. Depending on whether the subjects of the study could influence these factors, they were called controllable or uncontrollable. Uncontrollable factors were found to be hypertension, family history, age and gender. The many more controllable factors include obesity, activity level and exercise, and cholesterol levels.
Based on years of evidence, the Framingham Risk Score was developed to assess the possibility of heart disease in a clinical setting. The score is used to predict the odds of a heart accident over a 10-year period. This includes cardiovascular events such as heart attack, angina pectoris due to insufficient blood flow, and death. Also called the Farmingham score, this information can be used to plan treatment and treatment options.
Prior to the Framingham Heart Study, much of the information about heart disease was gleaned through death records. Research has been important in pioneering the study of living subjects over time, as well as in selecting and monitoring participants. While the relative similarity of Framingham residents was one reason the town was chosen in the first place, the original study has been criticized for following a predominantly white population. Expansions of the Framingham Heart Study have increased the representation of other ethnicities, even including descendants of the original research subjects.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
