The third Adult Treatment Panel guidelines from the National Cholesterol Education Program, released in May 2001, depart from previous guidelines in several ways. As in previous guidelines, treatment and treatment goals are based not only on lipid levels but also on the patient's risk status. The method for calculating risk, however, has been refined considerably. Patients are classified in the highest-risk group if they have any of these disorders: known coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, carotid artery disease, or a 10-year risk of a coronary event of more than 20% (as determined by use of a scoring method).