Figure 1.
Overview of the distribution of subjects according to the conventional and to the proposed new extended family history definitions.
The graph shows the distribution of participants according to the conventional, guidelines-based definition (cFH) and the proposed new extended Asklepios family history definition (eFH). The new eFH high-risk group is almost identical to the guidelines-defined cFH positives. Seven subjects, categorized as negative in the cFH were categorized as high risk in the eFH (those having at least two second-degree relatives (grandparents) with premature CVD). The new eFH definition mainly differs from the conventional definition (cFH) by sub-stratifying the cFH negative group into two categories in the eFH: a large moderate-risk subgroup and a smaller low-risk subgroup.
Table 1.
Age- and sex-adjusted analyses on the new Asklepios extended family history definition (eFH) and the conventional family history definition (cFH).
Figure 2.
Presence of atherosclerosis according to the proposed new extended family history definition (eFH) and the conventional definition (cFH).
Unadjusted data show remarkably less atherosclerosis in the eFH low-risk group (14%) versus the eFH moderate-risk (42%) and eFH high-risk group (43%). There were no large differences observed in prevalence of atherosclerosis when comparing the cFH positive versus negative group (43% versus 39%).
Figure 3.
Adjusted odds ratios for presence of subclinical atherosclerosis according to the proposed new extended family history definition (eFH) and the conventional definition (cFH).
Odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis were adjusted for age, sex, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, systolic BP, smoking, DM and BMI. Taking the moderate-risk eFH group as the reference category, odds ratios for prevalent atherosclerosis adjusted for classical risk factors mentioned above are 0.74 (95% CI 0.56–0.98) in the low-risk eFH group versus the moderate-risk eFH group. There was no significant increase in prevalent atherosclerosis when comparing cFH positives versus negatives or eFH high-risk versus moderate-risk categories.