[Cardiovascular risk and management of patients with hypertension].
Whereas cardiovascular diseases remain a priority amongst preventable diseases and that their risk factors, especially hypertension, remain inadequately controlled, new tools, such as the cardiovascular risk, would allow better targeting of treatment on high risk patients. All the evidence is in favour of prevention based on the estimation of the risk, but this article summarises the problems which this strategy continues to pose. In particular, necessity of validation at several levels of the equation or equations used (exactitude of the estimated risk, its accuracy and transportability); influence of the mode of presentation of the risk on the perception and decision of the physician and patient; practical application of the strategy; choice of decisional threshold respecting the requirements of different age groups, and presentation to physicians (recommendations and/or computerisation?).
Colombet
I
I
SPIM (Santé publique et informatique médicale), 15, rue de l'école de Médecine, 75270 Paris.
Chatellier
G
G
Jaulent
M C
MC
D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D012308:Risk Management