Table 1.

Gothenburg score items and the ascertainment method at the ARIC Study baseline examination

Signs and symptoms	Source		Question
Cardiac
Prevalent CHD		Self-report	Positive response to the question: Has a doctor ever said you had a heart attack?
Angina		Self-report	Positive response to ‘Have you ever had any pain or discomfort in your chest?' and Positive response to either ‘Do you get it when you walk uphill or hurry?’ or ‘Do you get it when you walk at an ordinary pace on the level?’ and Response of ‘Stop or slow down’ when asked ‘What do you do if you get it while you are walking?’ and Response of ‘Relieved’ when asked ‘If you stand still, what happens?’ and Response of ‘10 min or less’ when asked ‘How soon?’
Oedema		Self-report	Positive responses to both of the following questions: ‘Have you ever had swelling of your feet or ankles (excluding during pregnancy)?’ ‘Did it tend to come on during the day and go down overnight?’
Nocturnal dyspnoea		Self-report	Positive response to the question: ‘Have you ever been awakened at night by trouble breathing?’
Rales	Physical exam		N/A
Atrial fibrillation	ECG		N/A
Pulmonary
Chronic bronchitis		Self-report	Positive response to the question: ‘Have you ever had chronic bronchitis?’
Chronic asthma		Self-report	Positive response to the question: ‘Have you ever had chronic asthma?’
Cough, phlegm, or wheezing		Self-report	Positive response to any of the following questions: ‘Do you usually have a cough?’ ‘Do you usually bring up phlegm from your chest?’ ‘Does your chest ever sound wheezy or whistling apart from colds?’
Rhonchi	Physical exam		N/A
Therapy
Digitalis		Self-report	Medication codes (312xxx)
Diuretics		Self-report	Medication codes (37xxxx)

ARIC, Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study; CHD, coronary heart disease; ECG, electrocardiogram.