Just over a year ago, the American Heart Association released the PREVENT calculator, a groundbreaking tool designed to predict cardiovascular risk. This new model improved upon its predecessor from 2013 by taking into account companion conditions such as kidney disease and type 2 diabetes, as well as including a more diverse range of backgrounds in its calculations.
One of the key features of the PREVENT calculator was its ability to potentially reduce the number of Americans eligible to receive cholesterol-lowering statins, as indicated by two recent analyses. However, a lesser-known change was the addition of heart failure to the conditions estimated by the risk calculator, alongside the traditional targets of heart attack and stroke.
Heart failure is a serious condition where the heart is unable to pump blood effectively through the body. Unlike diseases that narrow blood vessels, heart failure has no cure, making it crucial to identify individuals at risk. The PREVENT calculator allows for the estimation of this risk using information typically gathered during a routine primary care visit.
Dr. Timothy Anderson, a primary care physician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, highlighted the significance of the PREVENT model in identifying individuals at risk for heart failure without the need for expensive or intensive testing. Early detection of heart failure risk is essential, as the damage caused by this condition is often irreversible.
Recent research using the PREVENT calculator revealed a substantial group of people at risk for heart failure but not at risk for other common cardiovascular conditions like plaque-clogged arteries. This new high-risk population included individuals with high blood pressure and those who were overweight or obese.
The addition of heart failure to the PREVENT model has provided valuable insights into cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. The updated calculator estimates that 15 million American adults are at high risk for heart failure, with a significant portion not at risk for other forms of cardiovascular disease. This data was derived from a study analyzing risk factors in over 4,800 adults with no known cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Sadiya Khan, a cardiologist at Northwestern Medicine, emphasized the importance of the PREVENT model in quantifying the distribution of risk for different types of cardiovascular disease. She noted the rising burden of heart failure hospitalizations and deaths, as well as the growing evidence on therapies to reduce heart failure.
Looking ahead, the PREVENT calculator could potentially guide future guidelines on statin use by jointly influencing the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. By identifying individuals at risk for heart failure and other cardiovascular conditions, the PREVENT model offers a valuable tool for personalized risk assessment and prevention strategies.
In conclusion, the integration of heart failure into the PREVENT calculator represents a significant advancement in cardiovascular risk assessment. This innovative tool has the potential to revolutionize the way healthcare providers identify and manage individuals at risk for heart failure, ultimately improving outcomes and reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease.
