Predicting Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke: The FINRISK Calculator

Erkki Vartiainen; Tiina Laatikainen; Markku Peltonen; Pekka Puska

doi:10.1016/j.gheart.2016.04.007

Review

Predicting Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke: The FINRISK Calculator

Authors:

Erkki Vartiainen ,

Department of Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, FI

Tiina Laatikainen,

Department of Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki; Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, FI

Markku Peltonen,

Department of Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, FI

Pekka Puska

Department of Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, FI

Abstract

The FINRISK risk calculator predicts 10-year risk for coronary heart disease, stroke incidence, and their combination. The model is based on 10-year cohort follow-up from 3 different cohorts in 1982, 1987, and 1992 from a random population sample in 3 areas in Finland. Coronary heart disease, stroke, and their combination are predicted by smoking, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, diabetes, and family history. The Internet-based calculator is commonly used in Finland in health services to assess the need for hypertension and hypercholesterolemia treatment and is used also in patients' counseling.

Highlights

National risk function is a useful tool to assess total risk for cardiovascular diseases.

How to Cite: Vartiainen E, Laatikainen T, Peltonen M, Puska P. Predicting Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke: The FINRISK Calculator. Global Heart. 2016;11(2):213–6. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.gheart.2016.04.007

Published on 01 Jun 2016.

Peer Reviewed

CC BY 4.0