Cardiologists develop new way to evaluate heart risks—kidney function, metabolic health included for first time

PREVENT risk calculator designed for adults as young as 30

AHA’s previous CVD risk calculator was developed with 10-year risks among patients 40 to 79 years old. PREVENT, however, can determine a patient’s 10- or 30-year risk to maximize its ability make an impact. In addition, the team behind PREVENT wanted it to offer value for patients 30 years old and older.

“Longer-term estimates are important because short-term or 10-year risk in most young adults is still going to be low. We wanted to think more broadly and apply a life-course perspective,” Khan explained. “Providing information on 30-year risk may reveal earlier opportunities for intervention and prevention efforts in younger people.”

PREVENT risk calculator does not include race

Another key update with this new resource is that it does not consider a patient’s race or ethnicity when determining their risk of CVD. While the cardiologists behind PREVENT know there are certain racial and ethnic disparities in place when it comes to CVD risk factors, they believed it was more important to focus on social determinants of health such as education, poverty and a patient’s environment.

“Concerted research efforts are needed to determine the causal and social factors that underlie racial differences in CVD risks and outcomes,” Khan said. “As we strive towards more equitable preventive care, we also acknowledge that racism, and not race, operates at multiple levels to increase risk for CVD.”

The PREVENT risk calculator replaces the AHA’s previous preferred risk calculator, the Pooled Cohort Equation, which was released back in 2013.