CHS All Stars

Study Overview

CHS All Stars is an ancillary study of the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). CHS began in 1988 as a longitudinal, observational, population-based study of the onset, progression, and course of heart disease and stroke in the elderly. Participating Field Centers are located in Pittsburgh, PA, Hagerstown, MD, Sacramento, CA, and Winston-Salem, NC.

The CHS All Stars Study focuses on reexamining the long term survivors of CHS to determine the likelihood of maintaining function later in life. It compares surviving CHS participants who have remained functional with those who have died or become disabled. A focus is placed on the oldest CHS survivors to determine whether age related biological factors will be long-term predicators of functional aging. The functional aging was assessed through a follow-up exam at Year 18 followed by six month interval telephone contacts.

The specific objectives of the CHS All Stars Study are:

1. To identify and characterize surviving CHS participants who have remained functional, comparing them to those who have died or become disabled.
2. To determine the baseline and cumulative trajectories of CVD risk factors and behavioral factors, especially physical activity and CVD treatment that lead to functional aging in the oldest survivors.
3. To determine whether other age related biological factors will be long-term predictors of functional aging in a nested case-control design focusing on the oldest survivors.
4. To identify individuals who have maintained functional aging in the presence of a large atherosclerotic burden and to examine factors that may promote function in spite of CVD.

The first All Stars visit was completed in April 2006 on 1674 participants. Phlebotomy was completed on 1100 participants. Requests for All Stars specimen require approval by PI Anne Newman.

Additional details are available on the internal All Stars web page.