Assessing absolute cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk
Access the Australian absolute risk CVD calculator here.
The first Australian Guidelines for the assessment of absolute cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk are now available.
Absolute risk, as defined in these guidelines, is the numerical probability of a cardiovascular event occurring within a five-year period. It reflects a person’s ‘individual’ risk of CVD, as opposed to the traditional method that considers various risk factors, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure, in isolation.
These guidelines make recommendations for assessing absolute CVD risk in adults aged 45-74 years (35 years and above for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander adults). They feature sections on assessing adults:
- without known CVD
- with diabetes or chronic kidney disease
- who are overweight or obese.
These guidelines are an important step toward a single preventive approach to CVD in Australia. Clinical decisions based on absolute risk can lead to improved health outcomes by identifying people most at risk and directing the right treatments to them.
The guidelines were developed by the National Vascular Disease Prevention Alliance (NVDPA)* and approved by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Absolute Cardiovascular Disease Risk Videos
The National Vascular Disease Prevention Alliance (NVDPA)* has developed five short videos to help you use an absolute risk approach in your practice (see below).
Each only a few minutes long, the videos feature leading absolute risk experts Dr Tim Leahy, Professor Rod Jackson and Professor Mark Harris.
*NVDPA members: Diabetes Australia, Kidney Health Australia, the National Heart Foundation of Australia and the National Stroke Foundation.
Absolute risk videos (Clicking on these links will take you to another website.)
Guidelines and Tools
Patient resources
Email us if you have any questions or want more information.