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[Why and how to measure cardiovascular risk?]
Thierry Krummel1, Thomas Dervaux, Laura Parvès-Braun
1Service de néphrologie, hôpitaux universitaires de Strasbourg, hôpital civil, 67091 Strasbourg Cedex.
La Revue Du Praticien
|June 30, 2004
Summary
Quantifying cardiovascular risk using predictive models aids therapeutic decisions. Global risk assessment, considering multiple factors, offers a pertinent alternative to single-factor approaches in clinical practice.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Epidemiology
- Risk Assessment
Context:
- Cardiovascular medicine utilizes absolute and relative risk metrics.
- Global cardiovascular risk assessment is multifactorial and often requires predictive models from large-scale studies like the Framingham cohort.
- Predictive equations remain useful across populations due to the relatively constant weight of discrete risk factors.
Purpose:
- To explore the utility of quantifying cardiovascular risk for therapeutic decision-making.
- To highlight the role of predictive models in assessing multifactorial cardiovascular risk.
- To introduce the concept of global risk assessment as a valuable clinical tool.
Summary:
- Cardiovascular risk can be quantified using absolute and relative risk measures.
- Predictive models, derived from epidemiological studies, are crucial for assessing global cardiovascular risk.
- Therapeutic decisions are enhanced by estimating intervention benefits, often expressed as number needed to treat, considering both baseline risk and treatment effect.
Impact:
- Global risk assessment, validated by trials like the Heart Prevention Study, offers a pertinent and novel approach to daily clinical practice.
- Instantaneous cardiovascular risk calculation is available via the internet, palm computers, or medical press tables.
- This approach aids in estimating the therapeutic benefit of interventions, guiding treatment decisions effectively.