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Study Description

This study is part of the NHLBI Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Whole Genome Sequencing Program. TOPMed is part of a broader Precision Medicine Initiative, which aims to provide disease treatments that are tailored to an individual's unique genes and environment. TOPMed will contribute to this initiative through the integration of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and other -omics (e.g., metabolic profiles, protein and RNA expression patterns) data with molecular, behavioral, imaging, environmental, and clinical data. In doing so, this program aims to uncover factors that increase or decrease the risk of disease, to identify subtypes of disease, and to develop more targeted and personalized treatments. Two genotype call sets derived from WGS are now available, Freeze 5b (GRCh38) and Freeze 8 (GRCh38), with largely overlapping sample sets. Information about how to identify other TOPMed WGS accessions for cross-study analysis, as well as descriptions of TOPMed methods of data acquisition, data processing and quality control, are provided in the accompanying documents, "TOPMed Whole Genome Sequencing Project - Freeze 5b, Phases 1 and 2" and "TOPMed Whole Genome Sequencing Project - Freeze 8, Phases 1-4". Please check the study list at the top of each of these methods documents to determine whether it applies to this study accession.

CARDIA is a study examining the etiology and natural history of cardiovascular disease beginning in young adulthood. In 1985-1986, a cohort of 5115 healthy black and white men and women, aged 18-30 years, were selected to have approximately the same number of people in subgroups of age (18-24 and 25-30), sex, race, and education (high school or less, and more than high school) within each of four US Field Centers. These same participants were asked to participate in follow-up examinations during 1987-1988 (Year 2), 1990-1991 (Year 5), 1992-1993 (Year 7), 1995-1996 (Year 10), 2000-2001 (Year 15), 2005-2006 (Year 20), 2010-2011 (Year 25) and 2015-2016 (Year 30). In addition to the follow-up examinations, participants are contacted regularly for the ascertainment of information on out-patient procedures and hospitalizations experienced between contacts. Within the past five years, 95% of the original surviving cohort has been contacted.

While the specifics of each examination have differed somewhat, data have been collected on a variety of factors believed to be related to heart disease. These include conditions with clear links to heart disease, such as blood pressure, cholesterol and other lipids. Data have also been collected on physical measurements, such as weight and skinfold fat, as well as lifestyle factors such as substance use (tobacco and alcohol), dietary and exercise patterns, behavioral and psychological variables, medical and family history, and other chemistries (e.g., insulin and glucose). In addition, subclinical atherosclerosis was measured via echocardiography during Years 5, 10, and 25, computed tomography during Years 15 and 20, and carotid ultrasound during Year 20.

Authorized Access
Publicly Available Data (Public ftp)
Study Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria

Black and white adults from 4 communities aged 18-30 during the baseline examination in 1985-1986

Molecular Data
TypeSourcePlatformNumber of Oligos/SNPsSNP Batch IdComment
Whole Genome Sequencing Illumina HiSeq X Ten N/A N/A
Study History

The cohort has been examined at 9 clinic visits.

Baseline Examination: 1985-1986
Exam 2: 1987-1988
Exam 3: 1990-1991
Exam 4: 1992-1993
Exam 5: 1995-1996
Exam 6: 2000-2001
Exam 7: 2005-2006
Exam 8: 2010-2011
Exam 9: 2015-2016

Selected Publications
Diseases/Traits Related to Study (MeSH terms)
Links to Related Resources
Authorized Data Access Requests
Study Attribution
  • Principal Investigator (Field Centers)
    • Cora E. Lewis, MD, MSPH. University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA.
    • Donald Lloyd-Jones, MD, ScM. Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
    • Pamela Schreiner, PhD. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
    • Stephen Sidney, PhD. Kaiser Foundation Research Institute, Oakland, CA, USA.
  • Principal Investigator (Coordinating Center)
    • James Shikany, DrPH. University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA.
  • DNA laboratory
    • Myriam Fornage, PhD. University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, TX, USA.
  • Project Officer
    • Jared Reis, PhD. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
  • CARDIA Funding Source - University of Alabama, Birmingham Coordinating Center
    • HHSN268201300025C. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
  • CARDIA Funding Source - University of Alabama, Birmingham Field Center
    • HHSN268201300026C. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
  • CARDIA Funding Source - Northwestern University Field Center
    • HHSN268201300027C. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
  • CARDIA Funding Source - University of Minnesota Field Center
    • HHSN268201300028C. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
  • CARDIA Funding Source - Kaiser Foundation Research Institute Field Center
    • HHSN268201300029C. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.