Women with a low Framingham risk score and a family history of premature coronary heart disease have a high prevalence of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis

Among women classified as low risk by FRE, a third had significant subclinical atherosclerosis. Sisters of probands with premature CHD appear to be a high-risk group and may warrant noninvasive screening for subclinical atherosclerosis to appropriately target individuals for more aggressive primary prevention therapy than what is currently recommended.