Framingham Heart Study-Cohort (FHS-Cohort) - Imaging

The Framingham Heart Study (FHS) is a population-based, observational cohort study initiated in 1948 to prospectively investigate the determinants of cardiovascular disease to guide public health prevention. The FHS began by recruiting an Original Cohort of 5,209 men and women between the ages of 30 and 62 from the town of Framingham, Massachusetts, who had not yet developed overt symptoms of cardiovascular disease or suffered a heart attack or stroke. The Original cohort Exam 1 took place between 1948 and 1953. Since that time the cohort has had a total of 32 biennial exams (ending in 2014) and event follow-up through 2022. In 1971, the FHS added the Offspring cohort, comprising 5124 children whose parents were enrolled in the Original cohort and the spouses of the children. This cohort on average has been examined every three to four years. However, there was an eight year gap between Exam 1 and Exam 2 and a seven year gap between Exam 7 and Exam 8. The latest exam (10) was completed in 2022. In 2002, the transgenerational FHS design was facilitated with the recruitment of 4095 children of the Offspring cohort (Third Generation), and 103 spouses of the Offspring who were not previously enrolled in the study (New Offspring Spouses, NOS). These cohorts have completed 3 exams through 2019. To reflect the changing demographic characteristics of the greater Framingham community, the FHS additionally recruited and enrolled 2 cohorts comprising racial and ethnic minority groups, termed Omni-1 and Omni-2, (n = 506 and 410, respectively) in 1995 and 2002, respectively. These cohorts included individuals of African American, Hispanic, Asian, Indian, Native American, and Pacific Islander descent. The OMNI-1 cohort have completed 5 exams through 2022. The OMNI-2 cohort have completed 3 exams through 2019. Data available for request include Echocardiogram images, available from the following exams in each cohort. Original Cohort: exams 18-32; Offspring cohort: exams 3-10; Third Generation, NOS and OMNI-2 cohorts: exams 1-3; OMNI-1 cohort: exams 1-5.CT image data at one or two timepoints were added for 4427 participants in the offspring, third generation, and OMNI1 and OMNI2 cohorts.Summary level phenotypes for the Framingham Cohort study participants can be viewed at the top-level study page phs000007 Framingham Cohort. Individual level phenotype data and molecular data for all Framingham top-level study and substudies are available by requesting Authorized Access to the Framingham Cohort study phs000007.]]>
A description of the Design of the Original Cohort can be found at Dawber TR, Meadors GF, and Moore FEJ. Epidemiological approaches to heart disease: the Framingham Study. Am J Public Health 1951; 41:279-86 (PMID: 14819398). A description of the Design of the Offspring Cohort can be found at Feinleib M, Kannel WB, Garrison RJ, et al. (1975) The Framingham Offspring Study. Design and preliminary data. Prev Med 4:518-25 (PMID: 1208363). A description of the Design of the Third Generation Cohort can be found at Splansky GL et al. The Third Generation Cohort of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study: Design, Recruitment, and Initial Examination. Am J Epidemioly 2007; 165(11):1328-35 (PMID: 17372189). A description of the Design of the two OMNI Cohorts can be found at Tsao CW and Vasan RS. Cohort Profile: The Framingham Heart Study (FHS): overview of milestones in cardiovascular epidemiology. International Journal of Epidemiology 2015, 44(6), 1800–1813 (PMID: 26705418). ]]>
Study history of the Framingham Heart Study can be found at https://www.framinghamheartstudy.org/fhs-about/history/ The Generation 1 (or Original) cohort Exam 1 took place between 1948 and 1953. Since that time the cohort has had a total of 32 biennial exams (ending in 2014) and event follow-up through 2022. The Generation 2 (or Offspring) cohort Exam 1 took place between 1971 and 1975. This cohort on average has been examined every three to four years. However, there was an eight year gap between Exam 1 and Exam 2 and a seven year gap between Exam 7 and Exam 8. The latest exam (10) was completed in 2022. The Generation 3 cohort Exam 1 took place between 2002 and 2005. Exam 3 was completed in 2019. The New Offspring Spouse cohort Exam 1 took place between 2003 and 2005. Exam 3 was completed in 2019. The Omni Cohort 1 Exam 1 took place between 1994 and 1998. Exam 5 was completed in 2022. The Omni Cohort 2 Exam 1 took place between 2003 and 2005. Exam 3 was completed in 2019.CT image data at one or two timepoints were added for 4427 participants in the offspring, third generation, and OMNI1 and OMNI2 cohorts. ]]>