Stroke Risk Profiles

Abstract

The impact of risk factors can be summarized in a quantitative way to provide a multivariate assessment of an individual’s probability of a stroke in a specified time period, usually 10 years. Multivariable risk factor modeling really was begun in Framingham in the 1960s and evolved to the present. Specific risk profiles for a number of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes can be found at www.framinghamheartstudy.org, including the stroke risk profile published in 19911 with a modification for antihypertensive medication interaction in women.2 The ability to synthesize and summarize in a quantitative manner the additive impact of an array of CVD risk factors provides a way to identify persons at substantial elevated risk even if they have multiple borderline or slightly elevated risk factor levels. These persons whose significantly increased probability of stroke …