Stroke risk profile: adjustment for antihypertensive medication. The Framingham Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

We sought to modify existing sex-specific health risk appraisal functions (profile functions) for the prediction of first stroke that better assess the effects of the use of antihypertensive medication.

METHODS

Health risk appraisal functions were previously developed from the Framingham Study cohort. These functions were Cox proportional hazards regression models relating age, systolic blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, prior cardiovascular disease, atrial fibrillation, left ventricular hypertrophy by electrocardiogram, and the use of antihypertensive medication to the occurrence of stroke. Closer examination of the data indicated that antihypertensive therapy effect is present only for systolic blood pressures between 110 and 200 mm Hg. Adjustments to the regressions to better fit the observed data were developed and tested for statistical significance and goodness-of-fit of the model residuals.

RESULTS

Modified functions more consistent with the data were developed, and, from these, tables to evaluate 10-year risk of first stroke were computed.

CONCLUSIONS

The stroke profile can be used for evaluation of the risk of stroke and suggestion of risk factor modification to reduce risk. The effect of antihypertensive therapy in the evaluation of stroke risk can now be better evaluated.