Assessment of cardiovascular risk in adults with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome: Framingham versus UKPDS equations.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to assess risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by comparing the Framingham and United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) risk equations in Korean adults with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and metabolic syndrome.

METHODS

The study was a cross-sectional survey enrolling a convenience sample of 110 Korean adults with T2DM and metabolic syndrome. The 10-year CVD risk scores were calculated using the Framingham risk equation and UKPDS risk engines.

RESULTS

Overall participants had a moderate prevalence (average, 64.3%) of metabolic syndrome factors, with the most prevalent being abdominal obesity (86.4%) and elevated blood pressure (78.2%). A lower percentage of women were current smokers and consumed alcohol than men, whereas a higher percentage of men had their weight and stress controlled than women. The mean scores of 10-year CVD risk using the Framingham and UKPDS equations were 14.55% and 15.99%, respectively. However, there were no significant differences between results of the 2 equations. Regarding level of CVD risk, the percentage of high risk (>20%) was about 24% using both equations. Also, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves using Framingham and UKPDS equations was similar: 0.707 and 0.696, respectively, which indicated moderate accuracy.

CONCLUSIONS

About one-fourth of adults with T2DM and metabolic syndrome had high level of CVD risk (>20%). In practice, people with diabetes and metabolic syndrome could be managed earlier and more intensively based on their risk estimated by the Framingham or UKPDS equations.