Cardiovascular disease event classification in the Jackson Heart Study: methods and procedures.

OBJECTIVE: The process of identifying, abstracting, and classifying cardiovascular disease (CVD) endpoints in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) is described.
METHOD: Trained interviewers conduct telephone annual followup interviews on or near the JHS exam 1 anniversary to ascertain any significant health events since the last JHS contact, including diagnostic tests, hospitalizations, or death. Information on cohort hospitalizations and deaths is transmitted to the medical record abstraction (MRA) unit who review death certificates and hospital records to identify CVD events in the cohort. Interviews with the next of kin and completed questionnaires by physicians and medical examiners or coroners are used to obtain information on deaths in the cohort. A computer-generated diagnosis with follow-up review and adjudication by trained medical personnel completes final, disease-specific event classification of hospitalized and fatal coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and congestive heart failure (CHF) events. DISCUSSION: Surveillance of this well-characterized group of African Americans for CVD events as well as sub- and preclinical manifestations of disease is a central aspect of the JHS. Particular focus is placed on the leading causes of CVD illness and death, including fatal and nonfatal CHD, stroke, and CHF.