Cardiovascular Risk Score (QRISK2) and starting lipid lowering treatment

Patient Information Leaflet

Why have I received this leaflet?

You have recently had a blood test to measure your cholesterol. The amount of cholesterol in your blood can increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes heart attack, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.

Cholesterol is one of the risk factors for CVD. The overall risk is calculated using the QRISK2 which gives the likelihood of a person having a stroke or a heart attack in the next 10 years. The higher the score, the greater the risk. You have received this leaflet because you are in a moderate or high-risk group of developing CVD. The good news is however, that there are lots of things which you can do to lower your risk.

What are the other risk factors?

There are two types of risk factors modifiable and non-modifiable

  • Modifiable such as treatable medical conditions (high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic kidney disease) and lifestyle factors such as excessive alcohol use, smoking, diet, being overweight and inadequate exercise.
  • Non-modifiable risk factors such as, age and strong family history of cardiovascular disease.

What does risk mean?

Risk is the chance of something happening. Your risk of developing CVD increase with age. Your QRISK score indicates whether you are at low, moderate, or high risk of developing CVD in the next 10 years.

  • Low risk = QRISK2 score of less than 10% – this means person has a less than a one in ten chance of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years
  • Moderate risk = QRISK2 score of 10-20% – this means the person has between one to two in ten chance of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years
  • High risk = QRISK2 score of more than 20% – this means you have at least a two in ten chance of having a stroke or heart attack in the next 10 years

What can I do to help myself?

Things you can do:

  • Stop smoking if you smoke.
  • Eat a healthy diet – low in fat, sugar, and salt.
  • Lose weight if overweight. A healthy BMI is between 20-25.
  • Take regular physical activity (aim for 150 minutes per week of moderate to intense activity e.g. 30 minutes 5 days per week of running, cycling or brisk walking).
  • Drink alcohol within recommended limits (14 units per week in total).
  • Take your medication to reduce blood pressure if needed.

Further reading can be found on the BDA Website:

Current NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidance suggests that patients with risk scores of 10% or greater should be offered the option of starting medication to lower cholesterol in addition to lifestyle changes. These medications are called statins.

Medicines for high cholesterol

Statins

What are statins?

Statins block a substance your liver needs to make cholesterol. This causes your liver to remove cholesterol from your blood. Stains are the most common medicine for high cholesterol and there is a choice of medication available.

They help reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Statins need to be taken long-term to be effective. It is one tablet a day which is taken at bedtime (There are statins which can be taken at any time of the day available). Statins are usually safe, and many patients take them without any problems.

However as with any medication, unwanted side effects can occur, like diarrhoea, headache or feeling sick and rare side effects like myopathy which means pain and weakness in your muscles.

If you commence a statin, you will need a blood test 2-3 months after starting it to check your liver function, and then once yearly after this.

Please contact us at the practice for any further information.

For Further information read British Heart Foundation web site from the British Heart Foundation website:

More information is available below: