First update to cardiovascular disease prevention guidelines in over a decade

The federal government launched the first major update to the cardiovascular disease prevention guidelines in more than a decade, in a move the Heart Foundation estimates could impact the care of 8 million Australians.

The guidelines will provide clinicians with the most up-to-date evidence on the early detection, assessment, and management of cardiovascular disease risk.

A calculator has also been designed for general practitioners to more accurately estimate their patients’ risk of cardiovascular disease.

For the first time, the guidelines and calculator provide a risk equation that has been uniquely modified and recalibrated for the Australian population using contemporary cohort data, helping GPs to better identify high-risk people in need of treatment.

Read Minister for Health Mark Butler’s announcement on the guidelines.