New Risk Calculator for Cardiovascular Disease Could Leave Millions Ineligible for Medication

A new calculator for assessing cardiovascular risks like heart attack and stroke may make nearly 16 million people ineligible for blood pressure and cholesterol medications. According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the risk calculator is better calibrated and more precise than previous versions, but if current treatment guidelines for cholesterol and blood pressure therapy don’t change with it, the calculator could have unintended consequences, according to research from Harvard Medical School. In November 2023, the American Heart Association (AHA) released a new risk calculator called “predicting risk of cardiovascular disease events” (PREVENT), which was developed as a result of population changes and shifts in cardiovascular disease trends over the past two decades. It now provides 10-year risk estimates for 30-to-70-year-old patients and 30-year estimates for 30-t-59-year-old patients....