The Dallas Heart Study (DHS)

The Dallas Heart Study was designed as a single-site, multiethnic, population-based probability sample to (1) produce unbiased population estimates of biologic and social variables that pinpoint ethnic differences in cardiovascular health at the community level and (2) support hypothesis-driven research on the mechanisms causing these differences using genetics, advanced imaging modalities, social sciences, and clinical research center methods. A probability-based sample of Dallas County residents aged 18 to 65 years was surveyed with an extensive household health interview. The subset of participants 30 to 65 years of age provided in-home fasting blood and urine samples and underwent multiple imaging studies, including cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and electron beam computed tomography. Completed interviews were obtained for 6,101 subjects (54% black), phlebotomy visits for 3,398 (52% black), and clinic visits for 2,971 (50% black). Participation rates were 80.4% for interviews, 75.1% for phlebotomy visits, and 87.4% for clinic visits. Weighted population estimates of many measured variables agreed closely with those of the United States census and were relatively stable from the interview sample to the phlebotomy and clinic sub-samples. Thus, the Dallas Heart Study provides a phenotypically well-characterized probability sample for multidisciplinary research that will be used to improve the mechanistic understanding and prevention of cardiovascular disease.

The Dallas Heart Study repeat evaluations (DHS2) are currently in the planning phase and tentatively scheduled for 2007-2009. Additional information regarding the repeat evaluations on the Dallas Heart Study cohort population will be made available on this website as it becomes available. For questions regarding this research project, you may contact the program manager at the Donald W. Reynolds Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas via e-mail to: Kathleen.Wilkinson@utsouthwestern.edu or via phone call to: 214.648.1438. Please click the following link to read the complete Dallas Heart Study Overview.

Click this link to view the DHS Bibliography in a new window.