Most Adults in USHave Low Risk of Heart Disease

More than 80 percentof US adults have a less than 10-percent risk of developing heart disease inthe next 10 years,according to a report in the Journal of the American

College of Cardiology.Just 3 percent have a risk that exceeds 20percent.

"I hope thatthese numbers will give physicians,researchers,health policy analysts,andothers a better idea of how coronary heart disease is distributed in the US

population,"leadauthor Dr.Earl S.Ford,from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta,said in astatement.

The findings arebased on analysis of data from 13,769 subjects,between 20 and 79 years ofage,who narticipated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination

Survey from 1988 to1994.

Overall,82 percentof adults had a risk of less than 10 percent,15 percent had a risk that fellbetween 10 to 20 percent,and 3 percent had a risk above 20 percent.

The proportion ofsubjects in the highest risk group increased with advancing age,and men weremore likely than women to be in this group.By contrast,race or ethnicity had

little effect onrisk distributions.

Although the reportsuggests that most adults have a low 10-year risk of heart disease,a largeproportion have ahigh or immediate risk,Dr.Daniel S.Berman,from Cedars-Sinai

Medical Center in Los Angeles,andDr.Nathan D.Wong,from the Universityof California at Irvine,note in a related editorial.

Aggressive treatmentmeasures and public health strategies are needed to shift the overallpopulation risk downward,they add.What's theproportion of US adults who have a risk of 10%～20%to develop heart disease?

A.More than 80percent.

B.3 percent.

C.15 percent.

D.20 percent.