MESA

MESA  – Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Study design

The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) is a general population study conducted in six universities in the USA including the Columbia University, New York, the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, the Northwestern University, Chicago, the UCLA, Los Angeles, the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and the Wake Forest University, Winston Salem. The study includes a diverse population including white, African American, Hispanic, and Asian individuals. The principal aim of the study was to investigate characteristics of subclinical cardiovascular disease and the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease progression. The institutional review boards of the six field centres have approved the study protocol. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Study data were obtained from BioLINCC.

Link to study webpage – https://www.mesa-nhlbi.org/

Funding

The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis has been supported by contracts HHSN268201500003I, N01-HC-95159, N01-HC-95160, N01-HC-95161, N01-HC-95162, N01-HC-95163, N01-HC-95164, N01-HC-95165, N01-HC-95166, N01-HC-95167, N01-HC-95168 and N01-HC-95169 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and by grants UL1-TR-000040, UL1-TR-001079, and UL1-TR-001420 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).  The authors thank the other investigators, the staff, and the participants of the MESA study for their valuable contributions.  A full list of participating MESA investigators and institutions can be found at http://www.mesa-nhlbi.org.

Key publications

Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis: Objectives and Design. Am J Epidemiol. 2002 Nov 1;156(9):871-81

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Hypertension and Hypertension Treatment and Control in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Am J Hypertens. 2004 Oct;17(10):963-70

Associations of Edge-Detected and Manual-Traced Common Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Measurements With Framingham Risk Factors The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Stroke. 2011 Jul;42(7):1912-6

Associations of cardiovascular risk factors, carotid intima-media thickness and left ventricular mass with inter-adventitial diameters of the common carotid artery: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Atherosclerosis. 2011 Oct;218(2):344-9

The Value of Carotid Artery Plaque and Intima-Media Thickness for Incident Cardiovascular Disease: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. J Am Heart Assoc. 2013 Apr 8;2(2):e000087

Occupational characteristics and the progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness and plaque over 9 years: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Occup Environ Med. 2015 Oct;72(10):690-8