Underestimating CVD risk in asymptomatic women: using the standard Framingham risk score, a man is eligible for preventive treatment at 50 but a woman waits until 70!

Shown above is a comparison of the preventive treatment of men and women without heart disease with exactly the same risk factors - smoking, HDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and blood pressure.

The man at 50 is eligible for aggressive preventive cholesterol but a woman has to wait until she is 70 years old to become eligible for the more aggressive treatment.