Australian guideline and calculator for assessing and managing cardiovascular disease risk
Overview of process for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment and management
Identify people for
CVD risk assessment
Age ranges for assessing CVD risk in people without known CVD
- All people aged 45–79 years
- People with diabetes aged 35-79 years
- First Nations people aged 30–79 years. Assess individual CVD risk factors in First Nations people aged 18–29 years.
Identify CVD risk category
Estimated 5–year CVD risk
High: ≥10%
Intermediate: 5% to <10%
Low: <5%
Reclassification factors
These factors may move an individual's risk estimate up or down:
- Ethnicity
- CAC
- Family history
- eGFR & uACR
- Severe mental illness
Manage CVD risk
Lifestyle* factors
- Smoking
- Nutrition
- Physical activity
- Healthy weight
- Alcohol
Pharmacotherapy
- BP-lowering treatment
- Lipid-modifying treatment
-
Identify people for
CVD risk assessment -
Use calculator to
assess CVD risk -
Identify CVD risk
category -
Communicate
CVD risk -
Manage
CVD risk
Use calculator to assess
CVD risk
Use new Australian CVD risk calculator with the following variables:
- Age, sex
- Smoking status
- Systolic BP
- TC: HDL-C ratio
- Diabetes status
- CVD medicines
- Postcode
- History of AF
For people with diabetes:
- HbA1c
- Time since diagnosis of diabetes
- uACR
- eGFR
- BMI
- Insulin
Communicate CVD risk
- Communicate CVD risk using a variety of formats
- Use a decision aid to support effective risk communication
- Combine risk communication tools with behavioural strategies, repeated over time
-
Identify people for
CVD risk assessment -
Use calculator to
assess CVD risk -
Identify CVD risk
category -
Communicate
CVD risk -
Manage
CVD risk
Identify people for
CVD risk assessment
Age ranges for assessing CVD risk in people without known CVD
- All people aged 45–79 years
- People with diabetes aged 35-79 years
- First Nations people aged 30–79 years. Assess individual CVD risk factors in First Nations people aged 18–29 years.
Use calculator to assess
CVD risk
Use new Australian CVD risk calculator with the following variables:
- Age, sex
- Smoking status
- Systolic BP
- TC: HDL-C ratio
- Diabetes status
- CVD medicines
- Postcode
- History of AF
For people with diabetes:
- HbA1c
- Time since diagnosis of diabetes
- uACR
- eGFR
- BMI
- Insulin
Identify CVD risk category
Estimated 5–year CVD risk
High: ≥10%
Intermediate: 5% to <10%
Low: <5%
Reclassification factors
These factors may move an individual's risk estimate up or down:
- Ethnicity
- CAC
- Family history
- eGFR & uACR
- Severe mental illness
Communicate CVD risk
- Communicate CVD risk using a variety of formats
- Use a decision aid to support effective risk communication
- Combine risk communication tools with behavioural strategies, repeated over time
Manage CVD risk
Lifestyle* factors
- Smoking
- Nutrition
- Physical activity
- Healthy weight
- Alcohol
Pharmacotherapy
- BP-lowering treatment
- Lipid-modifying treatment
- AF: atrial fibrillation; BMI: body mass index; BP: blood pressure; CAC: coronary artery calcium; CKD: chronic kidney disease; eGFR: estimated glomerular filtration rate; FH: familial hypercholesterolaemia; HbA1c: haemoglobin A1c; HDL-C: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; TC: total cholesterol; uACR: urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio. Family history: coronary heart disease (CHD) or stroke in a first-degree female relative aged <65 years or a first-degree male relative aged <55 years. Severe mental illness: a current or recent mental health condition requiring specialist treatment, whether received or not, in the 5 years prior to the CVD risk assessment. Derived from PREDICT cohort.50
- * This guideline refers to certain modifiable risk factors as ‘lifestyle’ factors. However, it is recognised that these behaviours are not necessarily an individual’s choice, but reflect the complex interplay of social, cultural, and environmental factors, which may be further influenced by clinical conditions. Use of the term ‘lifestyle’ does not attribute blame to a person.