Doctors launch new tool to measure your 'heart age'

“People are being urged to find out their "true" heart age in order to cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes,” BBC News reports. Doctors have put together a new risk calculator called JBS3 that can tell you the real “age” of your heart. Risk calculators for cardiovascular diseases or CVDs (conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels) are nothing new. The “granddaddy” of risk calculators – the Framingham risk calculator – has been available for years. But this new JBS3 calculator has the benefits of: being easily accessible online providing what is thought to be an accurate risk estimate of experiencing a serious CVD such as a heart attack or stroke unlike previous risk calculators it is of use to younger adults who, while possibly not having a short-term risk of CVD, could be on the route to a stroke or heart attack due to unhealthy lifestyle choices This new JBS3 calculator was specifically designed to help healthcare practitioners identify and communicate risk of CVDs to the “sizeable number” of people whose risk in the next 10 years is low, but who may be at high risk over their lifetime. The calculator includes estimates of someone’s “heart age” and the years they can be expected to enjoy without developing cardiovascular disease. It also shows the benefits that people would experience if they made changes in their lifestyle such as stopping smoking, or reducing blood pressure or cholesterol levels. It al...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs QA articles Source Type: news