Risk factors: definitions and practical implications.

Abstract

The concept of the risk factor is nowadays absolutely central in clinical practice, especially in disease prevention. In this paper we present general definitions of risk factors and related concepts, the ways they strengthen each other and the possibility of modifying them for disease prevention. As well as stressing modification of individual risk factors, our aim was to draw attention to their true importance, the frequency with which they cluster (which complicates their management), their relationship with disease and the excellent results that can be obtained through primary prevention. Finally, we present the main cardiovascular risk factors: smoking, hypercholesterolemia, physical inactivity, overweight and obesity, diabetes mellitus and arterial hypertension.