Developing risk stratification charts for diabetic and nondiabetic subjects.

AIMS: To provide estimates of the 10-year risk of coronary heart disease events for diabetic and nondiabetic men and women with different levels of risk factors and, for diabetic subjects, with and without microalbuminuria. METHODS: Use of risk coefficients derived from the Framingham Study and a meta-analysis of the influence of microalbuminuria on cardiovascular disease. The risk of a coronary heart disease event has been calculated for men and women with and without diabetes mellitus, and among diabetic subjects, with and without microalbuminuria, according to age, systolic blood pressure and the ratio of total to high density lipoprotein cholesterol. RESULTS: These risk estimates have been developed as a series of colour charts. The use of Framingham estimates of risk have been validated by comparing them with estimates derived from the Dundee Risk Disk and from the PROCAM Study, these estimates providing reasonable agreement despite the geographical and temporal differences in their development. CONCLUSIONS: These charts permit the overall level of risk to be derived, which can inform decision making about thresholds for therapeutic interventions, as well as assisting in patient education.