REGARDS - REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (tool)

RRID:SCR_007228

The REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) project, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is a national study focusing on learning more about the factors that increase a person''s risk of having a stroke. REGARDS is an observational study of risk factors for stroke in adults 45 years or older. 30,239 participants were recruited between January 2003 and October 2007. They completed a telephone interview followed by an in-home physical exam. Measurements included traditional risk factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and an echocardiogram of the heart. At six month intervals, participants are contacted by phone to ask about stroke symptoms, hospitalizations and general health status. The study is ongoing and will follow participants for many years. The purpose of the REGARDS project is to understand why people in some parts of the country develop more strokes than people in other parts of the country, and why blacks develop more strokes than whites. We hope to learn how to reduce the number of people having strokes.