Dr. Blumenthal tells Reuters Health explains that the Framingham risk estimation or "FRE" focuses on age and doesn't take into account family history or increased waist circumferences or lack of exercise.
The Baltimore-based research team used CT scanning to check on early signs of atherosclerosis, in 102 women ages 30 to 59 years who had siblings with coronary heart disease occurring before age 60.
Only two of the subjects had FRE scores indicating an intermediate risk of having a cardiovascular event.
However, 32 percent had significant silent or "subclinical" atherosclerosis, with high coronary artery calcium scores above the 75th percentile for their age and gender, the team reports in the American Heart Journal.
"Our hope," he added, "is that investigators will update FRE to incorporate family history, since we now know that for these patients the risk is double what the current equation predicts."
