As we age, our risk for heart disease and other cardiovascular issues increases; yet how do you know exactly how quickly your heart is actually aging? A new online tool developed by researchers and published in JAMA Cardiology on July 30 can make this concept more tangible by translating 10-year CVD risks into something simpler – your “heart age”. This goal of this new online tool is to make complex health data more relatable and actionable so that you can take care of your cardiovascular health with an acute sense of urgency.
So what exactly is the Heart Age Concept?
“Heart Age” isn’t some abstract concept – it’s simply a way of translating your 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk percentage into an age equivalent to your actual age, making risk easier to comprehend and providing a more intuitive representation of where you stand.
How Does the Calculator Operate?
This tool is based on AHA PREVENT equations, which estimate your risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. To receive your Heart Age you’ll need to provide several key details:
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Total Cholesterol Levels and HDL (good cholesterol) levels.
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Systolic blood pressure (SBP) measures the higher side of one’s systolic readings.
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Diabetes Status, Smoking Habits, eGFR (a measure of kidney function), and Vitamin D status all play key roles.
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Use of antihypertensive or lipid-lowering drugs
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For instance, a 45-year-old female diabetic with borderline cholesterol levels could face a 10-year CVD risk of 3.9%; that would translate into an approximate heart age of 60 years old. Although this statistic can be sobering, it helps them better assess their own risks.
What Does the National Data Reveal?
Studies of over 14,000 adults aged 30 to 79 without cardiovascular disease (CVD) reveal a discrepancy between people’s chronological age and heart age, with average values as follows:
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Women: On average, their heart age is 55.4 years. Meanwhile, their chronological age stands at 51.3.
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Men: Average heart age of 56.7 versus chronological age of 49.7 years.
However, certain groups had larger disparities–especially Black and Hispanic adults, middle-aged individuals, and those with lower education or income levels. Uncontrolled blood pressure and cholesterol levels were major causes for the gaps seen among these groups.
Experts Offer Their Take: What are the Positives?
There are clear benefits associated with heart age:
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An easier understanding: Being shown your “heart age” can be more immediately understandable than being presented with percentage risk figures; it is straightforward, relatable and straightforward for even non-health experts to grasp.
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An visual trigger: When your heart age exceeds your actual age, it can serve as an alarm bell that something needs to change; whether that means visiting your physician or making lifestyle adjustments.
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Long-term tracking: By integrating this tool into an electronic health record system, it could assist doctors in tracking your heart age over time and making informed decisions regarding prevention and treatment options.
Experts Raise Some Concerns
While this tool shows promise, there are some important limitations to keep in mind:
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An Overcrowded Field of Risk Scores: This heart age tool adds yet another complex risk score option to an already vast selection. However, whether it becomes widely adopted within clinics remains to be seen.
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No Outcome Data: Unfortunately, there’s no conclusive proof yet that communicating heart age vs percentage risk actually results in reduced cardiac issues for patients; thus making a true impactful difference to patient outcomes.
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False Reassurance: Just because your heart age is lower than your actual age doesn’t necessarily indicate all is well; abnormal markers (such as high cholesterol or blood pressure levels) could still exist that go beyond being captured by heart age alone.
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Excludes Certain Factors: The heart age equation leaves out some key factors, including family history, pregnancy-related factors and some key biomarkers that could result in inaccurate estimates for some individuals.
How to Use the Tool
Are You Wondering Your Heart Age? Checking Is Easy
Wondering your heart age can be quickly checked: Take this quick quiz.
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Gather Your Numbers: Make sure that you have current readings for your blood pressure, cholesterol levels and kidney function (eGFR).
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Visit the free online calculator: You can locate it on both the American Heart Association (AHA) website and on its dedicated study page, taking only minutes to get results.
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Interpret Your Heart Age: W hen your heart age is lower than your actual age, this can often be taken as an indicator that things are progressing well for you.
If your heart age exceeds five to ten years, it is time to speak to your physician about modifiable risk factors such as blood pressure or cholesterol management.
What Can Be Done to Reduce Heart Age?
After you know your heart age, the next step should be taking steps that will decrease risk and bring down its number. Here are a few actions that could reduce it:
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Control hypertensionthrough diet, exercise and medication if necessary.
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Optimize cholesterol levels: Strategies may include taking medications such as statins and making lifestyle adjustments to lower cholesterol.
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Quit smoking: As most know, smoking is one of the primary risk factors for heart disease.
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Weight Loss Strategies for Obese Patients: Dropping pounds can greatly benefit heart health.
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Management of kidney disease: Maintaining healthy blood pressure and diabetes levels to avoid kidney damage that can increase heart disease risk is the best way to safeguard kidneys from damage, which in turn increases cardiovascular disease risk.
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Limit alcohol, sugar, salt and saturated fats: Making lifestyle adjustments that reduce these components of heart health will have tremendous advantages for your overall well-being.
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Engage: Regular physical activity combined with adequate sleep can significantly improve cardiovascular health.
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Keep an eye on your progress: Regular follow-up lab work to monitor cholesterol, blood pressure and kidney health is essential to protecting the cardiovascular health of you and your loved ones.
What’s Next in Research?
While the heart age tool is encouraging, more investigation must be undertaken:
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Prospective trials: Will using heart age instead of percentage risk improve adherence to health advice and reduce cardiovascular events over time?
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Refining: Future versions of the tool could incorporate additional factors, including BMI, social determinants of health and novel biomarkers for more tailored risk evaluation.
Bottom Line for Patients
The Heart Age Calculator is an easy and user-friendly way to assess your 10-year cardiovascular disease risk. This calculator doesn’t represent a new medical condition or breakthrough; rather, it provides a more relatable approach to understanding heart health.
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