To be eligible for the MASALA study participants had to have (1) South Asian ancestry defined by having at least 3 grandparents born in one of the following countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, or Sri Lanka; and (2) age between 40 and 79 years; (3) ability to speak and/or read English, Hindi or Urdu. A pilot study called the Metabolic syndrome and Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (NIH grant #K23 HL080026) had similar eligibility criteria and methods as this larger study. The 150 participants enrolled in the pilot study were eligible to enroll in the current MASALA study.
We used identical exclusion criteria to MESA12 (link) which included having a physician diagnosed heart attack, stroke or transient ischemic attack, heart failure, angina, use of nitroglycerin, or those with a history of cardiovascular procedures such as coronary artery bypass graft surgery, angioplasty, valve replacement, pacemaker or defibrillator implantation, or any surgery on the heart or arteries. Those with current atrial fibrillation or in active treatment for cancer were excluded. Those with life expectancy < 5 years due to a serious medical illness, impaired cognitive ability as judged by the reviewer, plans to move out of the study region in the next 5 years, or those living in a nursing home or on a waiting list were also excluded. Due to CT scanner limitations, those weighing over 300 lbs. were excluded.
We used identical exclusion criteria to MESA12 (link) which included having a physician diagnosed heart attack, stroke or transient ischemic attack, heart failure, angina, use of nitroglycerin, or those with a history of cardiovascular procedures such as coronary artery bypass graft surgery, angioplasty, valve replacement, pacemaker or defibrillator implantation, or any surgery on the heart or arteries. Those with current atrial fibrillation or in active treatment for cancer were excluded. Those with life expectancy < 5 years due to a serious medical illness, impaired cognitive ability as judged by the reviewer, plans to move out of the study region in the next 5 years, or those living in a nursing home or on a waiting list were also excluded. Due to CT scanner limitations, those weighing over 300 lbs. were excluded.
