What is the benchmark for assessing future coronary risk?
The benchmark for assessing future coronary risk is generally considered to be the risk in patients with prior myocardial infarction (MI), in whom the rate of new MI is 20 per 1000 patient-years. Most national guidelines for the general population also recommend universal or very liberal use of statin treatment among those with coronary risk that is lower than those with prior MI (but still substantially higher than average), such as those with diabetes or prior stroke.