The WTC-Heart study is a cohort study of 6,481 WTC responders designed to estimate the risk of cardiovascular disease within this population. Study participants worked or volunteered in rescue, recovery, demolition, debris removal, and related services in the aftermath of the WTC disaster. The study will provide unique evidence of actual cardiovascular disease risk and predicted cardiovascular disease risk in WTC responders to guide the implementation of important preventative interventions. In addition to its direct relevance for the health surveillance of WTC responders, this study will accrue new knowledge of the long-term effects of a major environmental disaster on cardiovascular health.

Since January 2022, we began to recontact all the participants in the study to know if they suffered from vascular diseases of the heart (e.g., myocardial infarction, angina pectoris) or of the brain (e.g., stroke, Transient Ischemic Attack or TIA). Our goal is to update the clinical information about your health status and record (if applicable) the cardiovascular events that have occurred since the last time we contacted you. This information will help us to clarify, complete, and finalize the work that, as you know, began in 2012.

We would like you to complete a very short questionnaire, sometimes followed by a short phone call interview. We are implementing different ways of reaching you: by phone call, mail, email, text message, web link all via one of our interviewers.

 Finally, and in advance, we want to thank you for taking the time to answer the survey with questions that you may already be familiar with, as well as for giving your authorization by signing the consent document, to reinitiate our contact with you and complete this important study. Also, we would like to remind you that we can help you to schedule your next visit at the WTC Health program. If you have any comments or questions, do not hesitate to contact us at this telephone number: (718) 670-4168

Related Publications

Remch, M., Z. Laskaris, J. Flory, C. Mora-McLaughlin, and A. Morabia (2018). "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Cardiovascular Diseases: A Cohort Study of Men and Women Involved in Cleaning the Debris of the World Trade Center Complex." Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 11(7): e004572.