Cardiovascular risk assessment
Cardiovascular risk assessment is designed to identify a patient's risk of developing cardiovascular disease within the next ten years.
Use of risk calculators or assessment tools can demonstrate the individual's current risk profile and how, by reducing or delaying the onset of specific risks, the lifetime risk is reduced.
There are many different types of risk calculators available. Each of the calculators uses a different range of risk and adjustment factors to calculate an individual's overall ten year cardiovascular risk.
The risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event in the next ten years is categorised as:
- Less than 10% or low risk
- 10-20% or medium risk
- More than 20% or high risk
Once the risk is calculated the patient can be considered as low, medium or high risk and appropriate management strategies can be employed to reduce any identified risk factors.
Some key messages can be highlighted as a result of the risk assessment process including:
- The long term harm from established CV risk factors such as blood pressure, obesity, smoking and cholesterol.
- The potential lifetime benefit of small reductions of several risk factors through lifestyle changes such as weight loss or smoking cessation.
- The lifetime gain associated with reduction of risk factors.
- It is never too late to reduce risk factors and gain benefit.
For many patients the most significant message is the potential gain from adopting an early and sustained change to a healthier lifestyle.
Patients where risk assessment is not appropriate
Risk assessment tools are not appropriate for patients with pre-existing diseases where they are automatically categorised as high risk. These patients have an existing risk profile that is high enough to justify lifestyle changes and associated interventions.
The use of risk assessment tools is not appropriate for patients aged over 75 years and also patients diagnosed with:
- Coronary heart disease or other atherosclerotic disease.
- Familial hypercholesterolemia or other inherited dyslipidaemia.
- Hypertension with target organ damage.
- Kidney disease including diabetic nephropathy.
- Diabetes mellitus (type 1 and type 2).