End points for predicting coronary risk must be clarified

EDITOR—The term “absolute coronary risk” is often used without an explicit definition, resulting in confusing inconsistencies. The 1997 Standing Medical Advisory Committee on statin use and the 1998 Joint British recommendations on coronary heart disease prevention say that among people without established coronary heart disease, those with an absolute risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction or coronary death of 30% or more over 10 years should be identified and treated, and that this threshold should be lowered to 15% as resources allow. 1 2 Yet the …