Using Nontraditional Risk Factors In Coronary Heart Disease Risk Assessment

Release Date: October 2009

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This topic page summarizes the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations on using nontraditional risk factors in screening for coronary heart disease.

Summary of Recommendation / Supporting Documents

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Summary of Recommendation

• The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) concludes that the evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of using the nontraditional risk factors discussed in this statement to screen asymptomatic men and women with no history of CHD to prevent CHD events (select "Clinical Considerations" for suggestions for practice when evidence is insufficient).
  Grade: I Statement.

  The nontraditional risk factors included in this recommendation are high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), ankle-brachial index (ABI), leukocyte count, fasting blood glucose level, periodontal disease, carotid intima-media thickness (carotid IMT), coronary artery calcification (CAC) score on electron-beam computed tomography (EBCT), homocysteine level, and lipoprotein(a) level.

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Supporting Documents

Using Nontraditional Risk Factors In Coronary Heart Disease Risk Assessment, October 2009
Recommendation Statement (PDF File, 230 KB; PDF Help)
Supporting Article (Helfand, et al.) (PDF File, 170 KB; PDF Help)
Supporting Article (Buckley, et al.) (PDF File, 235 KB; PDF Help)
Evidence Synthesis (PDF File, 1.7 MB; PDF Help)
Clinical Summary (PDF File, 52 KB; PDF Help)

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Current as of October 2009

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Internet Citation:

Using Nontraditional Risk Factors In Coronary Heart Disease Risk Assessment, Topic Page. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. October 2009. http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/uspscoronaryhd.htm

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