In 1949-50, 5209 individuals were recruited from the town of Framingham, Massachusetts for an epidemiologic study of cardiovascular disease. In 1971 a group of offspring and spouses were recruited for inclusion in the study group. The original cohort is in its 40th year of continuous medical surveillance. The research findings have contributed significantly to what is now known about risk factors and diseases of the heart and circulatory system. Ultrasound examinations have helped expand our knowledge of left ventricular hypertrophy, mitral valve prolapse, extracranial carotid artery disease, and cardiac disease in general. This paper discusses these and some of the latest research findings from the Framingham study.
1. Dawber TR: The Framingham Study. London, Harvard University Press, 1980.
2.
2. Kannel WB, Feinleib M, McNamara P. Garrison RJ, Castelli WP: An investigation of coronary heart disease in families: The Framingham Offspring Study. Am J Epidemiol1979;110:281-289.
3.
3. Dawber TR, Meadors GF, Moore FE: Epidemiological approaches to heart disease: The Framingham Study. Am J Public Health1951;41:279-286.
4.
4. Dawber TR, Moore FE, Mann GV: Coronary heart disease in the Framingham Study. Am J Public Health1957;47:4-24.
5.
5. Gordon T, Kannel WB: Premature mortality from coronary heart disease. JAMA1971;215:1617-1625.
6.
6. Castelli WP, Garrison RJ, Wilson PWF, et al: Incidence of coronary heart disease and lipoprotein cholesterol: The Framingham Study. JAMA1986;256:2835-2838.
7.
7. National Institutes of Health: 1987 national cholesterol education program, adult treatment panel, treatment recommendations for adults. Arch Int Med1988;148:38-69.
8.
8. Gordon T, Castelli WP, Hjortland MC, Kannell WB, Dawber TR: High density lipoproteins as a protective factor against coronary heart disease: The Framingham Study. Am I Med1977;62:707-714.
9.
9. Castelli WP: Cholesterol and lipids in the risk of coronary artery disease. Can J Cardiol1988;4 Supl A:5A-1OA.
10.
10. The Framingham Study: Information for visitors and participants. Boston University: proprietary pamphlet.
11.
11. Stokes J, Dawber TR: The silent coronary: Frequent and clinical characteristics of the unrecognized myocardial infarction in the Framingham Study. Ann Int Med1959;50:1359-1369.
12.
12. Kannell WB, Dawber TR, Revotskie N: Epidemiology of coronary heart disease: Implications for the practicing physician. Geriatrics1962;17:675-690.
13.
13. Levy D, Savage DD, Garrison RJ, Anderson KM, Kannel WB, Castelli WP: Echocardiographic criteria for left ventricular hypertrophy: The Framingham Study. Am I Cardiol1987;59:956-960.
14.
14. Savage DD, Garrison RJ, Kannel WB, et al: The spectrum of left ventricular hypertrophy in a general population sample: The Framingham Study. Circulation1987;75(1 pt 2):126-133.
15.
15. Levy D, Anderson KM, Plehn J, Savage DD, Christiansen JC, Castelli WP: Echocardiographically determined left ventricular structural and functional correlates of complex or frequent ventricular arrhythmias on one hour ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring. Am J Cardiol1987;59:836-840.
16.
16. Levy D, Anderson KM, Savage DD, Balkus SA, Kannel WB, Castelli WF: Risk of ventricular arrhythmias in left ventricular hypertrophy: The Framingham Study. Am l Cardiol1987;60:560-565.
17.
17. Levy D, Anderson KM, Savage DD, Kannel WB, Christiansen JC, Castelli WP: Echocardiographically detected left ventricular hypertrophy: Prevalence and risk factors. Ann Int Med1988;108:7-13.
18.
18. Levy D, Savage DD: Prevalence and clinical features of mitral valve prolapse. Am Heart J1987;113:1281-1290.
19.
19. Poehlmann HW, O'Leary DH, Anderson KM, Christiansen JC, Kase CS, Wolf PA: The prevalence of carotid artery disease in the Framingham Study cohort as determined by ultrasound. J Ultrasound Med1988;7:S272-S272.
20.
20. Levy D, Kannel WB: Cardiovascular risks: New insights from Framingham. Am Heart J1988;116, 1(part 2):266-272, 315-318.
21.
1. Castelli WP: Epidemiology of coronary heart disease: The Framingham Study. Am J Med1984;Feb:4-10.
22.
2. Doyle JT, Dawber TR, Kannel WB, Heslin AS, Kahn HA: Cigarette smoking and coronary heart disease: Combined experience of the Framingham and Albany Studies. New Engl I Med1961:266:796-801.
23.
3. Gordon T, Kannel WB: The effects of overweight on cardiovascular diseases. Geriatrics1973;28:80-88.
24.
4. Kannel WB: Cigarette smoking and coronary heart disease. Ann lnt Med1964;60:1103-1106.
25.
5. Kannel WB, Dawber TR, Freidman GD, Glennon WE, McNamera P: Risk factors in coronary heart disease. Ann Int Med1964;61:888-889.
26.
6. Kannel WB, Wolf PA, Verter J, McNamera P: Epidemiological assessment of the role of blood pressure in stroke: The Framingham Study. JAMA1970;214:301-310.
27.
7. Savage DD, Drayer JIM, Henry WL, et al: Echocardiographic assessment of cardiac anatomy and function in hypertensive subjects. Circulation1979;59:623-632.
28.
8. Savage DD, Garrison RJ, Kannel WB, Anderson SJ, Feinleib M, Castelli WP: Considerations in the use of echocardiography in epidemiology. The Framingham Study. Hypertension1987;Feb 9(2 pt 2):1140-1144.
