There is uncertainty whether current strategies for providing CVD risk scores  affect CVD events .
Providing CVD risk scores may slightly reduce CVD risk factor levels and may increase preventive medication prescribing in higher-risk people without evidence of harm .
BACKGROUND The current paradigm for cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) emphasises absolute risk assessment to guide treatment decisions in primary prevention .
Although the derivation and validation of multivariable risk assessment tools , or CVD risk scores , have attracted considerable attention , their effect on clinical outcomes is uncertain .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of evaluating and providing CVD risk scores in adults without prevalent CVD on cardiovascular outcomes , risk factor levels , preventive medication prescribing , and health behaviours .
[Can systematic general health screening and patient-physician health discussions improve the cardiovascular profile of the population? A randomized controlled trial in general practice with a 5-year follow-up].
INTRODUCTION We investigated the impact of general health screenings and discussion s with general practitioners on the  cardiovascular risk profile of the population . MATERIAL AND METHODS A population -based , r and omised , controlled , 5-year follow-up trial conducted in a primary care setting . In total 2000 r and omly selected men and women , aged 30 - 50 years , from family practice s in the district of Ebeltoft , Denmark . Of these persons , 1507 ( 75.4 % ) agreed to participate , and were r and omised into : ( 1 ) a control group who did not receive health screenings ; ( 2 ) an intervention group that received two health screenings ; or ( 3 ) an intervention group that received both the two screenings and a 45-minute follow-up consultation annually with their general practitioner . All were followed up after 5 years by question naires and health screenings . The outcome measures were : cardiovascular risk score ( CRS ) , body mass index ( BMI ) , blood pressure , serum cholesterol , carbon monoxide in expiratory air , and use of tobacco . RESULTS After 5 years , the CRS , BMI , and serum cholesterol levels were lower in the intervention groups , as compared with the control group . The improved outcome was greater in the baseline risk groups . The number of persons with elevated CRS in the intervention groups was about half the number of persons with elevated CRS in the control group . The difference was not a result of medication use . There was no difference between the group that received consultations after the screenings and the group that had health screenings alone . DISCUSSION Systematic health screenings reduce the cardiovascular risk score in a middle-aged population . After 5 years of follow-up , the number of persons at elevated cardiovascular risk was about half the expected . The impact of intervention is higher in at-risk individuals . Planned consultations about health did not appear to improve the cardiovascular profile of the study population
There is uncertainty whether current strategies for providing CVD risk scores  affect CVD events .
Providing CVD risk scores may slightly reduce CVD risk factor levels and may increase preventive medication prescribing in higher-risk people without evidence of harm .
BACKGROUND The current paradigm for cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) emphasises absolute risk assessment to guide treatment decisions in primary prevention .
Although the derivation and validation of multivariable risk assessment tools , or CVD risk scores , have attracted considerable attention , their effect on clinical outcomes is uncertain .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of evaluating and providing CVD risk scores in adults without prevalent CVD on cardiovascular outcomes , risk factor levels , preventive medication prescribing , and health behaviours .