The Origins and Early Evolution of Epidemiologic Research in Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD): A Tabular Record of Cohort and Case-Control Studies and Preventive Trials Initiated from 1946-1976

Abstract

This article provides a ready reference to the pioneering formal studies in CVD epidemiology during three decades of its evolution into an established academic field making contributions to the public health. The article is not intended to be a history of CVD epidemiology nor an editorial about its significance. The appended tables include the title and starting date of the early studies, the name of their principal investigator, and reference to a single defining article from each. The early observational studies of CVD epidemiology provided a widely useful CVD risk-factor paradigm. The early clinical trials justified the more definitive preventive trials of the 1980s and beyond. These early researches in populations, along with others in the clinic and laboratory, led to greater understanding of the causes of CVD, to a vigorous practice of preventive cardiology, and to national policy and programs of health promotion, all coincident with a 50-year decline in CVD mortality rates.