Cardiovascular Risk Predictors in Primary Health Care: Reflections on the Adoption of Non-Laboratory Models

Abstract

This article raises considerations about the use of Cardiovascular Risk (CVR) stratification tools in Primary Health Care (PHC), focusing on the behavior of non-laboratory models as an alternative to laboratory predictions. This reflection is based on empirical research with a cross-sectional and exploratory methodology, focused on the behavior of two scales in an adult population (aged 40 to 74), with comorbidities (Hypertension and/or Diabetes) and without recorded cardiovascular events, in a medium-sized city in Minas Gerais. In the work, titled the “CardioRisk” project, the degree of agreement between CVR stratification performed by the Framingham Global Risk Score, using cholesterol information, and the non-laboratory version of the HEARTS calculator, which uses Body Mass Index instead of serum data, was evaluated. In this paper, the overall results of the research are analyzed, in which, for the constituted sample, a minimal agreement was found between the stratifiers. Recommendations are also presented regarding the management of CVR in the context of PHC, highlighting the importance of a comprehensive assessment of patients at notable risk, such as people with Diabetes.