Differences in risk-factor burden appear to translate into marked differences in lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to findings from a large meta-analysis. Adults with the following characteristics at age 55 had substantially lower risk of CVD-related death through age 80 than those with two or more major CVD risk factors:
Total cholesterol less than 180 mg/dL.
Blood pressure less than 120/80 mm Hg.
Non-smoking.
Non-diabetic.
These individuals also had lower lifetime risks of fatal coronary heart disease and non-fatal myocardial infarction.
Abstract: New England Journal of Medicine, January 26, 2012.
