BY BOB ANN BRELAND
THE DAILY NEWS
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The Bogalusa Heart Study has screened over 16,000 local school children and young adults since it officially began in 1973.
I was curious about what was going on in this modest place, and was invited by the staff and Medical Director Dr. Gerald Berenson to actually go through the screening to get an idea of what it is like for those participating. Those in the present aging study are the same children they screened 30 years ago. The numbers have dwindled to the present 1300 who are eligible to take part in the current study. The markers for heart and vascular disease are now showing up in some of these participants, who average age 43.
My experience began with the same procedure they have been using since the beginning. Acy Hartfield tied blue yarn around my wrist and a matching tie as on my folder. Technicians can see at a glance by the color that the participant matches their file, since they are all known by number.
Doris Byrd, LPN, who has been with the study for 20 years, asked preliminary questions: name, address, birth date, etc.
The six scheduled screenees had been fasting since 8 o'clock the night before, so blood work was the first order of business, taken by Rita Clayton, RN, who has been with the study since it began. She was assisted by Sabrina Knight, RN. Rita drew seven vials of blood.
Everett Watson immediately asked preferences for breakfast: cereal, fruit, graham crackers, milk and juice. My screening was a new experience for the technicians as I am way past the age of the others there that morning.
Stacy Gallaspy, RN, did an interesting measurement to determine a cuff size to take my blood pressure. She said if the cuff isn't the right size, the blood pressure readings will not be correct. Then she took skin fold measurements from the area directly under the arm where the blood pressure cuff would fit and another from the skin fold at my back just above the waist. The readings were recorded by Maryan Dunn, RN.
I was then weighed n twice n by Acy Hartfield and my height measured n twice. The weight was first done in pounds and the height in inches, with the second measurements in metrics.
James Daniels provided a questionnaire about lifestyle, smoking, drinking, etc. directing the pages so things would flow smoothly. Everybody with the Study isvery efficient.
After I came back from a urinalysis, Everett Watson conducted a tremor test, in the dark, when I aimed a laser pointer at a box on the wall which holds Polaroid film. As the pointer is held and aimed for eight seconds, a pattern is formed on the film which shows any sign of tremor.
The Colin machine is very interesting technology. Several years ago, when there were only five of these machines in the world, the Bogalusa Heart Study had one of the five. Dr. Berenson is asked about the Colin machine when meeting with cardiologists around the world.
Stacy Gallaspy and Maryan Dunn conducted the tests on the Colin. It was very interesting. Cuffs were placed on both arms and both ankles and with a tape measure, they recorded the distance from the artery in my ankle to the carotid artery in my neck. Maryan had her hand on the pulse of my carotid artery, while Stacy held femoral artery in my groin during the test. As the machine made its measurements, I had to be very still and not even swallow. The cuffs on my arms and ankles tightened and that was all the sensation I felt.
The Colin was done three times, recording my blood pressure, the speed of the flow of blood through my arteries and the elasticity of the vessels, how they contract and expand. The data is not unlike that gathered by an angiogram, except that there was no surgical procedure and if the blood flow is slow, a blockage is suspected, but the exact area is not pinpointed. The readings are sent to New Orleans where the data is read and recorded.
My blood pressure was taken again, by Acy Hartfield, in a very interesting way. The cuff was placed as usual, but instead of an automatic blood pressure machine, the work was done by a computer. He put data into the computer, the cuff tightened and the readings were on the computer. There were three readings, with time in between to raise the arm, shake the fingers and get the blood flowing again. The computer automatically computes the readings and gives an average. A total of nine blood pressure readings are made during the screenings, because as the morning goes by and participants are sitting, the reading goes down. The last three readings are made the old-fashioned method with a manual cuff and bulb.
Sabrina Knight then recorded lifestyles, foods, diseases, medications, etc. She also did an extensive interview about the extended family, including aunts, uncles, etc., as well as parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Dr. Berenson said this is very important for the Family Tree Study, which is to determine how heredity plays into the picture. He said this study was first started 15 to 20 years ago in Utah, which has the best genealogy study in the nation.
He said it began as a high school project, when students were given forms to fill out about family history. The family tree, which is hard to do, can track successful aging in a family as well as problem areas.
For actual participants there is also a 45 minute memory test, which relates blood pressure to blood pressure readings.
I was impressed with how smoothly the screenings went, with everything ready from one test to another. There was very little waiting, except for the longer tests.
Then it was time for an EKG or ECG as they are also known, Doris Byrd informed me. The EKG is the German abbreviation, but ECG is the English version for electrocardiogram.
First she did a measurement to determine the height and width of the chest with two different instruments. The second measurement tells where to put the leads for the test. All nurses are cross-trained for work with the study.
Doris also did a blood pressure test using a manual cuff and said the y take first, third and fifth phase readings in the blood pressures, whereas the regular test in a doctor's office only takes two readings. She took three readings.
Everett Watson took blood pressure readings again, along with pulse readings n three times.
The last test was the echo-cardiogram, which was done by medical sonographer Elizabeth McIlwain of New Orleans, who does cardio-vascular ultra sounds and contracts to the Heart Study. She has 20 years experience in her field.
During the echo, I was able to watch the screen as she explained every phase of what she was doing. The echo Doppler looks at the heart and the carotid artery, searching for evidence of the thickness of athro-schlerosis, more commonly known as hardening of the arteries. The echo can see the changes in the elasticity of the heart and the carotid, which can measures the severity of the disease in the body n or the lack of it.
Dr. Berenson came in during the echo and later explained the importance of this test. He said thickening of the carotid can reflect the possibility of strokes.
They can also determine vascular age by the thickness of the vessels and other data. All the data is sent to a researcher in Wisconsin who looks at it and using a formula, she can determine vascular age. A person can be 40 and have the vessels of a 70 year-old, or an older person with no problems can have the vessels of a young person.
It was an interesting experience, and although I got some preliminary results, as far as I could tell I am a pretty healthy senior citizen with good genes, who is a little overweight and has moderately high blood pressure. However, the final report will tell the tale, which is due in a few weeks.
Through research such as this being conducted by the Bogalusa Heart Study, it has been determined that the top number of the blood pressure reading should not be over 135. Mine was 143. This is the number that can indicate the possibility of strokes and heart and vascular disease, which the study is all about.
NEXT: Results of the screening.
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