| Total cholesterol – Total cholesterol values should be the average of at least two measurements obtained from lipoprotein analysis. |
| HDL cholesterol – HDL cholesterol values should be the average of at least two measurements obtained from lipoprotein analysis. |
| Smoker – The designation “smoker” means any cigarette smoking in the past month. |
| Systolic blood pressure – The blood pressure value used is that obtained at the time of assessment, regardless of whether the person is on antihypertensive therapy (treated hypertension carries residual risk). |
| More Information – Determining 10-year (short term) risk for developing CHD is carried out using Framingham risk scoring. The risk factors included in the Framingham calculation are age, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, treatment for hypertension, and cigarette smoking. Because of a larger database, Framingham estimates are more robust for total cholesterol than for LDL cholesterol. Note, however, that LDL cholesterol remains the primary target of therapy. The Framingham risk score gives estimates for “hard CHD” which includes myocardial infarction and coronary death. |
