PREVENT Calculator Accurately Predicts Heart Attack Risk: Researchers

A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association confirms that the American Heart Association's PREVENT risk calculator can accurately identify individuals with plaque buildup in the arteries, as well as predict their risk of a future heart attack. The study further found that combining the PREVENT score with coronary artery calcium scores improves prediction, aligning closely with real-world outcomes in patients who experienced heart attacks during the study period.

PREVENT (Predicting Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Events), introduced in 2023, estimates 10- and 30-year risk for heart attack, stroke, or heart failure in adults as young as 30. It incorporates multiple health indicators, including age, blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI, type 2 diabetes status, kidney function, smoking, and social determinants of health. In this study, researchers analyzed the electronic health records of 6,961 adults at NYU Langone Health in New York City who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) between 2010 and 2024.

The analysis showed that PREVENT scores correlated closely with coronary artery calcium scores, a measure derived from CT scans to evaluate calcium buildup in the arteries.

The study also demonstrated that using both the PREVENT and coronary artery calcium scores together offered a more accurate assessment of future heart attack risk than either tool alone.

However, researchers note limitations, including the single-institution setting, short follow-up time of 1.2 years, and a largely white participant group. Despite these, the findings support broader clinical use of the PREVENT calculator, particularly when used in combination with coronary artery calcium scoring, to guide treatment decisions and improve heart disease prevention strategies.

"These findings are important because when we can better predict a patient's risk of heart attack, we can also tailor care and determine who may benefit from treatment to prevent a heart attack, such as cholesterol-lowering medications," said corresponding author Morgan Grams, M.D., Ph.D., the Susan and Morris Mark Professor of Medicine and Population Health at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine in New York City.

Reference: aron J. Rhee, Krutika Pandit, Jeffrey S. Berger, Eduardo Iturrate, Josef Coresh, Sadiya S. Khan, Jung‐Im Shin, Judith S. Hochman, Harmony R. Reynolds, Morgan E. Grams. Real‐World Evidence Linking the Predicting Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Events Risk Score and Coronary Artery Calcium. Journal of the American Heart Association, 2025; DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.124.038991