Additive effects of risk factors on cardiovascular disease at 5 years

Cumulative absolute risk of CVD at 5 years according to systolic blood pressure and specified levels of other risk factors. The reference category is a non-diabetic, non-smoking 50-year-old woman with a serum TC of 154 mg/dL (4.0 mmol/L) and HDL cholesterol of 62 mg/dL (1.6 mmol/L). The CVD risks are given for systolic blood pressure levels of 110, 130, 150, and 170 mmHg. In the other categories, the additional risk factors are added consecutively. As an example, the diabetes category is a 50-year-old diabetic man who is a smoker and has a TC of 270 mg/dL (7 mmol/L) and HDL cholesterol of 39 mg/dL (1 mmol/L).