Un nuovo modello di screening cardiovascolare di opportunità: Dalla donazione di sangue alla cardiologia preventiva. Primi risultati del programma Cardiorisk

Background. Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of mortality and disability in developed countries. Therefore, it is necessary to increase a policy of primary prevention. The most recent European guidelines recommend the use of the absolute risk profile as a tool to identify high-risk individuals, but also underline the need for interventions on the whole population. They also mentioned the concept of opportunistic screening for cardio- and cerebrovascular risk factors. Methods. From September 2004 to December 2008, 13 619 consecutive blood donors were evaluated to determine the absolute risk profile by using the CUORE Project score. Inclusion criteria were age between 35 and 69 years, no evidence of cardiovascular disease, 12h fasting, and informed consent. All blood donors underwent physical examination and blood tests. The absolute risk profile system includes 8 variables: age, gender, diabetes, smoking habit, systolic blood pressure, total and HDL cholesterol, and antihypertensive therapy. The population was classified into five risk categories (