Examining How Heart Disease Risk Factors Affect Healthy Aging (The Chicago Healthy Aging Study [CHAS])

Heart disease, including coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), is a serious health problem in the United States. It is the leading cause of death in this country, and each year almost 700,000 people die from the disease. Risk factors for heart disease include high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, tobacco use, diabetes, and history of a prior heart attack. It has been shown that young and middle aged adults with few risk factors experience a lower incidence of heart disease, lower Medicare costs, and longer lives than those with more risk factors. However, it is not known how having a low risk for heart disease at a young age affects health-related outcomes in older age. It may be possible that a low risk for developing heart disease in younger years results in healthier aging than does a higher risk. This study will examine former participants of the Chicago Heart Association (CHA) study who are now 65 to 84 years old. The purpose of this study is to determine how risk factors for heart disease in young adulthood and middle age are related to healthy aging.

This study will enroll 1500 people who participated in the CHA study from 1967 to 1973 and who are still living in the Greater Chicagoland area. Six hundred former participants who had a low risk of developing heart disease and 900 former participants who had a high risk of developing heart disease will be enrolled. Participants will attend one study visit that will include medical history interviews and questionnaires, a physical examination, blood pressure measurements, blood and urine collection, and an electrocardiogram (ECG) to measure the electrical activity of the heart. Blood samples will be collected and stored for future genetic testing. Participants will undergo physical functioning performance tests on balance, leg strength and coordination, grip strength, and endurance. They will also undergo a computed tomography chest scan to measure the amount of calcium in the arteries of the heart and ultrasound scans of the arteries in the neck to measure artery size and function.

Inclusion criteria

• Participated in the CHA study
• Lives in the Greater Chicagoland area

Exclusion criteria

• Severely ill, disabled, or cognitively impaired