Framingham risk score

Q: What is the Framingham risk score and how does it predict cardiovascular risk?
A:

• The Framingham score remains the most common way to predict cardiovascular risk.
• By assessment of clinical and laboratory values, including age, sex, total cholesterol level, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (HDL), smoking status, and systolic blood pressure, the 10-year risk of a cardiovascular event can be calculated with approximately 75% accuracy.
• In another study by Detrano and colleagues, participants who had a subsequent coronary event had significantly higher levels of coronary calcium, serum triglycerides, creatinine, and systolic blood pressure, lower levels of HDL, and a higher prevalence of diabetes and hypertension as compared with participants who did not have a coronary event.
  

Teaching topics from the New England Journal of Medicine - Vol. 358, No. 13, March 27, 2008