![Credit: JACC: Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.jacadv.2024.100945 New Study Evaluates Cardiovascular Health Score in Predicting Mortality Risk](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2024/new-study-evaluates-ca.jpg)
credit: JACC: Progress (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.jacadv.2024.100945
Physician-scientists at the Marnix E. Hairsink College of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham conducted a national study to evaluate the mortality predictive value of the Cardiovascular Health Score.
Their research has recently JACC: Progresscompares two cardiovascular health measures developed by the American Heart Association, Life’s Simple 7 (LS7) and its updated version, Life’s Essential 8 (LE8), with established pooled cohort equations accepted by the American College of Cardiology.
In 2022, the AHA recognized sleep as an important determinant of cardiovascular health, so the previous cardiovascular health index, the LS7 score, was revised to LE8 to include sleep as an important health component.
“This marks a major advancement in our approach to measuring cardiovascular health,” said Naman S. Shetty, M.D., lead author of the study and a research scientist in UAB’s Department of Cardiovascular Diseases. “This study delves into the comparative predictive validity of these tools for mortality and provides an in-depth analysis that is important for clinicians and patients.”
The study questions whether these cardiovascular health scores should be used to predict mortality risk by comparing them with a validated risk prediction tool, the PCE.
The study leveraged extensive national population-level data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 2007 and 2018. The survey is conducted every two years to assess the health and nutritional status of the U.S. population by surveying a select group of individuals representative of the U.S. population.
“This comprehensive dataset of approximately 22,000 participants allowed researchers to determine the predictive power of these health scores for approximately 157 million Americans,” said Mokshad Gaonkar, a biostatistician and UAB statistician leading the project’s analysis.
“The value of NHANES is further enhanced by linking participant data to the National Death Index, which allows studies to examine all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality outcomes.”
The researchers found that the LE8 and LS7 scores had similar predictive value for both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, but PCE outperformed the LE8 and LS7 scores in predicting risk of death.
“Furthermore, the PCE also incorporates weights for each cardiovascular risk factor, accurately reflecting the increased risk of cardiovascular outcomes with changes in risk factors. Our results highlight the improved utility of the PCE in clinical settings where accurate risk assessment is essential for effective patient management and treatment planning.”
Lead author Pankaj Arora, MD, a cardiologist at the UAB Heart and Vascular Institute, highlighted the broader implications of the study findings.
“The LE8 and LS7 scores will be invaluable for broader public health surveillance and interventions aimed at improving community health outcomes,” Arora said, “but when it comes to individual risk assessment in clinical practice, the current study highlights the comprehensive nature of the PCE, and its nuanced approach to mortality risk prediction makes it a superior option.”
“Thus, this study calls for a shift in research efforts from evaluating the risk predictive value of the LE8 and LS7 scores to focusing on their intended use in characterizing and tracking cardiovascular health.”
For more information:
Naman S. Shetty et al., “Association of Life’s Essential 8 and Simple 7 Scores with Mortality.” JACC: Progress (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.jacadv.2024.100945
Courtesy of University of Alabama at Birmingham
Quote: New Study Evaluates Cardiovascular Health Scores in Predicting Mortality Risk (June 27, 2024) Retrieved June 27, 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-06-cardiovascular-health-scores-mortality.html
This document is subject to copyright. It may not be reproduced without written permission, except for fair dealing for the purposes of personal study or research. The content is provided for informational purposes only.