In Germany, risk factors for cardiovascular diseases are widespread in the population. Even among young employees there is a high prevalence of hyperlipidaemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, cigarette smoking, obesity and physical inactivity. Preventive medicine is important for these diseases because of the long latency period before relevant clinical symptoms develop. During occupational-medical check-ups the company physician has contact with population groups otherwise difficult to reach. This allows the early identification of diseases and specific advice to be given to people at high risk. The correct evaluation of a person’s risk is nevertheless difficult as a result of the interaction of many cardiovascular risk factors. Therefore, models for risk stratification are a useful and easy-to-use tool for the company physician. Available on the Internet are the PROCAM algorithm, derived from data from a prospective German study, and an algorithm based on the American Framingham Study.
