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This week on Health Watch, we've been talking about the Dallas Heart Study, a groundbreaking effort by doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center to understand heart disease in one major metropolitan area. Now a gift from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation will allow the study to move into a new phase.

Dr. Helen Hobbs, director of UT Southwestern's heart research center, says the study will now shift from studying a cross-section of the population to following the same individuals over time. People who participated in the study initially will receive follow-up examinations to see if they've developed new risk factors. Doctors will use non-invasive imaging to see how the health of these patients' hearts changes from the initial exam. With these results, doctors will have a better idea of how heart disease progresses and how well various treatments work to prevent future problems.

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October 2006

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