Joint British recommendations on prevention of coronary heart disease in clinical practice: summary

The authors would like to clarify one point in these summary recommendations from the British Cardiac Society, the British Hyperlipidaemia Association, the British Hypertension Society, and the British Diabetic Association (2000;320:705-8). In the guidance on “Using the coronary risk prediction chart for primary prevention” the first sentence states that the charts are for estimating the risk of coronary heart disease and defines that as “non-fatal myocardial infarction and death from coronary heart disease.” In fact the end points should have been described as “non-fatal myocardial infarction, coronary death, and new angina pectoris.” The British National Formulary will include the correct definitions of the end points from March 2002. The recommendations of the joint British Societies and of the NHS Framework are unaffected, and the end point for coronary heart disease including new angina pectoris is the same as for all Framingham based methods of coronary risk prediction.