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Northwestern Launches Free Calculator to Show 30-Year Heart Risk for Adults 30–59

Built on AHA PREVENT modeling, the tool expresses cardiovascular risk as percentiles by age-sex group to prompt earlier prevention.

Overview

  • The peer-reviewed study appears in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology alongside the public release of the online tool.
  • Users input common clinical data such as blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking status, diabetes history and kidney function to receive a percentile versus peers.
  • Percentile charts were derived from NHANES 2011–2020 data covering about 8,700 U.S. adults who were free of cardiovascular disease at baseline.
  • Results show higher long-term risk for men at every age in the sample, with authors noting that women’s risk increases over time.
  • Researchers emphasize the calculator is intended to spark patient–clinician discussions and guide earlier prevention, not replace medical care.