American Heart Association PREVENT Calculator Accurately Estimates 10-Year Cardiovascular Risk with Calcium Scores

The American Heart Association's PREVENT risk calculator has been shown in recent research to accurately predict the risk of heart attacks by identifying individuals with plaque buildup in their heart arteries and estimating their 10- and 30-year cardiovascular risk. Combining the PREVENT score with coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring further improves risk prediction, aiding clinicians in tailoring preventive treatments such as cholesterol-lowering medications. A high calcium score indicates the presence of calcified plaque, which is more stable than noncalcified plaque but still signifies increased risk, as illustrated by an 85-year-old patient's case where cholesterol was well-controlled but calcium score was very high. Additionally, new research highlights that waist-to-height ratio is a better indicator than BMI for predicting heart failure risk, as it reflects harmful visceral fat accumulation around internal organs. This measurement is easy to perform and may help identify those at greater risk of heart failure, complementing other cardiovascular risk assessments. Overall, these advances in risk assessment tools and measurements provide more precise methods to identify and manage individuals at risk of heart disease and heart failure.