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Published on: September 22, 2023
Framingham risk score and severity of coronary artery disease
M R Sayin1, M A Cetiner, T Karabag
1Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Bulent Ecevit University, 67600, Kozlu/Zonguldak, Turkey, sayinmr@mynet.com.
Insights
The Framingham risk score (FRS) effectively predicts coronary artery disease (CAD) severity. This simple scoring system shows significant correlation with the Gensini score, aiding in risk assessment.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Preventive Medicine
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major global health concern, necessitating accessible tools for risk prediction.
- Current diagnostic methods require improvement in terms of ease of use and reliability for predicting CAD presence and severity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of the Framingham risk score (FRS) as a predictor for the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD).
- To establish a correlation between the FRS and the Gensini score, a quantitative measure of CAD severity.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 222 patients undergoing coronary angiography was analyzed.
- The Framingham risk score (FRS) was calculated for each patient, and CAD severity was quantified using the Gensini score.
- Correlation and regression analyses were employed to assess the relationship between FRS and Gensini scores.
Main Results:
- A significant positive correlation was observed between the Framingham risk score (FRS) and the Gensini score (r=0.432, p<0.0001).
- Linear regression analysis confirmed this relationship (β=0.341, p<0.0001).
- An FRS cut-off of 7.5 demonstrated 68% sensitivity and 73.6% specificity in predicting severe CAD.
Conclusions:
- The Framingham risk score (FRS) system is a simple and feasible tool for predicting coronary artery disease (CAD) severity.
- Further large-scale studies are recommended to solidify these findings and establish broader clinical applicability.
Objectives:
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Easy-to-perform and reliable parameters are needed to predict the presence and severity of CAD and to implement efficient diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. We aimed to examine whether the Framingham risk scoring system can be used for this purpose.
Methods:
A total of 222 patients (96 women, 126 men; mean age, 59.1 ± 11.9 years) who underwent coronary angiography were enrolled in the study. Presence of > %50 stenosis in a coronary artery was assessed as critical CAD. The Framingham risk score (FRS) was calculated for each patient. CAD severity was assessed by the Gensini score. The relationship between the FRS and the Gensini score was analyzed by correlation and regression analyses.
Results:
The mean Gensini score was 18.9 ± 25.8, the median Gensini score was 7.5 (0-172), the mean FRS was 7.7 ± 4.2, and the median FRS was 7 (0-21). Correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between FRS and Gensini score (r = 0.432, p < 0.0001). This relationship was confirmed by linear regression analysis (β = 0.341, p < 0.0001). A cut-off level of 7.5 for FRS predicted severe CAD with a sensitivity of 68 % and a specificity of 73.6 % (ROC area under curve: 0.776, 95 % CI: 0.706-0.845, PPV: 78.1 %, NPV: 62.3 %, p < 0.0001).
Conclusion:
Our work suggests that the FRS system is a simple and feasible method that can be used for prediction of CAD severity. As the sample size was small in our study, further large-scale studies are needed on this subject to draw solid conclusions.
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