Cardiovascular Risk Prediction in Patients With Stable and Unstable Coronary Heart Disease

Heart Association estimates that 1 in 3 American adults have cardiovascular (CV) disease, including 16.8 million individuals with ischemic heart disease, 8 million individuals with peripheral arterial disease, and 6.5 million individuals with ischemic stroke. Given the high prevalence of CV disease and its associated morbidity and mortality, prevention of recurrent events in patients with established CV disease is a major public health objective. A fundamental tenet of preventive medicine is to initiate interventions appropriate to the level of risk for the individual. Therefore, risk assessment is an inextricable component of preventive care.