PREVENT Calculator Accurately Predicts Heart Attack Risk: Researchers

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