About MESA
What is MESA?
MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) is an important medical research
study that involves more than 6,000 men and women from six communities in the
United States. Participants in MESA come from diverse race and ethnic groups,
including African Americans, Latinos, Asians, and Caucasians.
MESA is sponsored by the National Heart Lung and
Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. The study is
conducted through the following six universities:
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Columbia University, New York
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Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore
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Northwestern University, Chicago
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UCLA, Los Angeles
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University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
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Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem
MESA started in 1999 and is still following participants today.
This long-term study allows researchers to follow the health of participants over time.
MESA Investigators invited residents of the study cities between the ages
of 45 and 84 to participate. About 6,418 individuals from these cities were
enrolled over a two-year period.
Participants have shared information through exams and
follow-up surveys since the start of the study.
MESA looks at the early stages of a disease called atherosclerosis.
This is also known as "hardening of the arteries." This condition occurs
when cholesterol and other substances in the blood stick to the walls of
arteries and blood vessels.
This can slow down or stop blood circulation. When that happens, heart
disease, stroke, and other diseases of the blood vessels might develop.
For additional details, please
see the MESA Investigator “About MESA” webpage.