Aims: It has been recommended by several intervention studies to use a high risk approach for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention, and the European Guidelines on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Clinical Practice (ESC Guidelines) provide a method to identify high risk individuals. Furthermore the ESC Guidelines suggest interventions for the high risk group, with the overall intention to reduce CVD mortality. The ESC Guidelines have not yet been applied in cardiovascular research in Denmark. Therefore, the aim of this study is to estimate the proportion at high risk for fatal CVD in a Danish population.
Methods: Data from a population-based cross-sectional study from the Research Centre for Prevention and Health (the former Glostrup Population Studies) from 2006 was used. A total of 2,815 individuals aged 25-64 years were included in the analysis. The criteria listed in ESC Guidelines were used to identify the high risk group. The results were stratified according to age and sex.
Results: A total of 21.2% were categorized as high risk for fatal CVD, and 51.6% of the high risk individuals were categorized due to a SCORE risk ≥ 5%. In general more men than women were categorized as high risk within the different age groups. A larger proportion was categorized in high risk in the oldest age groups compared with the younger ones.
Conclusions: With the considerably large proportion at high risk -one in five individuals - it is worthwhile considering increasing the attention given to identify high risk individuals. Applying the interventions suggested in the ESC Guidelines to high risk individuals could potentially reduce CVD mortality in Denmark.