Risk factors can be evaluated along with risk markers to help estimate cardiovascular risk. The most widely used cardiovascular risk marker is the Framingham Risk Score. The Framingham Risk Score is an algorithm used to estimate the 10-year cardiovascular risk of an individual. That is, it aims to tell patients how likely they are to have significant cardiovascular events in the next 10 years. The Framingham Risk Score was developed based on data obtained from the very large Framingham Heart Study. The outcomes used in the study were MI, cerebrovascular events, peripheral artery disease, and heart failure. The Framingham score uses the following six factors to determine cardiovascular risk:
- Gender
- Age
- Total Cholesterol
- HDL-C
- Smoking status
- Systolic blood pressure
There are online calculators that will quickly calculate risk if you enter information for the six parameters above.
