Article Synopsis |  | The 2001 Australian Lipid Management guideline highlighted the need to assess absolute coronary risk before prescribing lipid-modifying drugs. In the guidelines, patients were deemed at “higher risk” and warranted treatment with lipid-lowering medication if they were already manifesting coronary or other arterial disease, diabetes, or certain other conditions. Others at lesser risk would warrant treatment if their absolute risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) exceeded 10-15 per cent, as assessed by a CVD risk calculator taken from the Framingham study.
The Framingham risk function has been validated in middle-aged men and women in Northern Europe and Western Australia, but has not been similarly validated in elderly populations outside Framingham.
This report evaluates the Framingham risk function for coronary heart disease in a group of elderly Australians, and develop an Australian CVD risk function for subjects 60 years and older.
The study found that a Framingham risk function assessing myocardial infarction or coronary death accurately predicted 10 year incidence in men and women aged 60-79 years who were free of prevalent CVD or diabetes at study entry. CVD incidence was predicted by age, sex, blood pressure, smoking, cholesterol and diabetes. Investigators were able to derive a simple CVD risk function specifically for elderly Australians that utilises risk factors readily accessible to all medical practitioners. |