Is Better Risk Assessment Within REACH?

Several algorithms for predicting an individual's risk for cardiovascular events are available, but none has proven to be accurate, easy to use, and applicable to a broad population. To evaluate the relative importance of various risk factors, investigators for the industry-supported REACH Registry in 29 countries enrolled outpatients aged ≥45 who had either stable coronary artery, peripheral arterial, or cerebrovascular disease or three or more risk factors for atherosclerosis. Risk factors included diabetes, diabetic nephropathy, ankle-brachial index <0.9, asymptomatic carotid stenosis ≥70%, carotid intima–media thickness at least twice that of adjacent sites, systolic blood pressure ≥150 mm Hg despite treatment, hypercholesterolemia requ…