At Framingham, Massachusetts, the National Heart Institute has been following 5,127 men and women aged 30 to 60 years in a study of factors related to the development of coronary heart disease (CHD) and hypertension. Data for a decade of follow-up studies of this population are available for analysis.
From a study of those who have developed disease under observation in comparison to those who have remained free of the disease, factors of risk and susceptible individuals have been identified. The factors associated with excess risk that have been identified are: serum cholesterol level, blood pressure, cigarette smoking, vital capacity,