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(HealthDay News) — A mobile and web-based app has been released to help health care professionals determine their patients’ 10-year and lifetime risks of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).
The tool is based on the Excel-based calculator issued with the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Cardiovascular Risk Guideline released in November 2013, which was broadened to include assessment of stroke risk as well as heart attack risk.
The ASCVD Risk Estimator estimates a person’s 10-year and lifetime risk according to their age, sex, race, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, blood pressure-lowering medication use, diabetes status, and smoking status. The app can help physicians decide whether to use statin therapy, how to address associated safety concerns, and what lifestyle changes should be made by the patient.
“This tool is meant to facilitate a conversation between the health care provider and the patient about the patient’s risk of heart attack and stroke and how best to reduce those risks,” John G. Harold, MD, president of the American College of Cardiology, said in a statement. “It is a tool to help health professionals and patients work together as part of a discussion of the patient’s medical history and lifestyle.”
