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Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United Kingdom. Randomised controlled trials have shown benefit from modifying risk factors in people at risk of developing cardiovascular disease and in those who have evidence of established disease. Currently patients are often assessed opportunistically and treated on the basis of individual clinical or laboratory results rather than on their overall level of risk of developing cardiovascular disease. This article summarises the most recent recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on the effective identification and assessment of people at risk of cardiovascular disease, and on the modification of lipids in primary and secondary prevention. The detailed consideration of the evidence is available in the full guideline (www.nice.org.uk/ CG67).1 NICE recommendations are based on systematic reviews of best available evidence. When minimal evidence is available, recommendations are based on the guideline development group’s opinion of what constitutes good practice. Evidence levels for the recommendations are given in italic in square brackets. ### Identifying those at risk of cardiovascular disease for primary prevention
Cooper et al. (Thu,) studied this question.