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Low Risk Example
Read through the following 3 cases to see various ways you might use the risk assessment tool in different situations.
Low Risk Case 1
Mary is a female patient aged 60 with 130/83 mm Hg blood pressure, total serum cholesterol of 6.4 mmol/L, HDL cholesterol of 1.2 mmol/L with no history of diabetes, family CVD or smoking. She is overweight with a BMI of 29 but hasn’t been very motivated to change her diet or lose weight.
Feedback
The patient’s 5 year CVD risk is 5% in the low risk category so medication is not recommended.
Low risk patients not on CVD prevention medication may still have risk factors that need be reduced through lifestyle changes, but they are very unlikely to benefit from taking medication at this stage. The risk assessment tool may help to show how much their risk will increase in future if they don’t take action now, explore the risks and benefits of different types of lifestyle changes, or show the small effect that medication would have right now if the patient suggests this.
Often people come out with a really low risk and then they think they can continue with their obesity and high blood pressure…I guess I am reassured but I was really trying to use it to warn them
Open Peer Discussion- Clinical resources
- Case studies
- Peer discussion
Peer discussion
Low Risk Case 1
Mary is a female patient aged 60 with 130/83 mm Hg blood pressure, total serum cholesterol of 6.4 mmol/L, HDL cholesterol of 1.2 mmol/L with no history of diabetes, family CVD or smoking. She is overweight with a BMI of 29 but hasn’t been very motivated to change her diet or lose weight.
Feedback
The patient’s 5 year CVD risk is 5% in the low risk category so medication is not recommended.
Low risk patients not on CVD prevention medication may still have risk factors that need be reduced through lifestyle changes, but they are very unlikely to benefit from taking medication at this stage. The risk assessment tool may help to show how much their risk will increase in future if they don’t take action now, explore the risks and benefits of different types of lifestyle changes, or show the small effect that medication would have right now if the patient suggests this.