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Framingham test may miss many at risk

NEW HAVEN, Conn., April 24 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers suggest the Framingham risk assessment tool may miss coronary disease -- especially in women.

The Framingham risk assessment tool -- developed from the landmark Framingham Heart Study, which identified heart disease risk factors -- estimates a person's chances of having a heart attack based upon age, sex, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, the "good" cholesterol, smoking status and blood pressure.

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Researchers at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., cautioned a low Framingham score should not exclude a patient from being tested further for the buildup of plaque inside the arteries.

The study, scheduled to be published in the May issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology, found detection of atherosclerosis using computed tomography was 98 percent sensitive in men and 97 percent sensitive in women.

"In comparison, the Framingham risk score was only 74 percent sensitive in men and 36 percent sensitive in women for the detection of atherosclerosis -- a substantial difference," study lead author Dr. Kevin Johnson said in a statement.

Johnson and colleagues looked at 1,416 men and 707 women with suspected coronary artery disease. However, the majority of patients were asymptomatic.

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