[Estimation of coronary heart disease risk in Chilean subjects based on adapted Framingham equations]

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death globally and in Chile.
• Existing Framingham risk functions overestimate coronary heart disease (CHD) risk in the Chilean population.
• Accurate CHD risk assessment is crucial for effective prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate region-specific risk tables for assessing 10-year CHD risk in Chile.
• To adapt existing risk prediction models using local epidemiological data.
• To improve the accuracy of CHD risk stratification in the Chilean adult population.

Main Methods:

• Adapted the Framingham risk function for Chilean adults aged 35-74 years.
• Utilized Chilean CHD incidence data and prevalence of risk factors (age, sex, cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, smoking).
• Compared the distribution of risk categories between Framingham and Chilean tables.

Main Results:

• Chilean 10-year CHD incidence: 2.7% (men), 1.09% (women), lower than US/Spain but higher than China.
• Framingham tables showed >50% of cells in the ≥10% risk category.
• Chilean tables had <10% of cells in the ≥10% risk category, indicating better risk distribution.

Conclusions:

• Adapted Chilean risk tables provide more accurate local CHD risk assessment.
• These tables incorporate specific Chilean epidemiological data for improved prediction.
• Further validation studies are recommended to confirm the predictive accuracy of the Chilean tables.