Heart disease risk staging was weaker at age 80 and older
The framework’s score for distinguishing heart disease death risk was 0.543 at age 80 and older, versus 0.737 at ages 65–79.
Our read
Biomarkers- Studied:
- Cohort study of 21,570 adults aged 20 and older, median 4.75 years, against adults aged 65–79
- What changed:
- Accuracy in distinguishing heart disease death risk was lower: 0.543 at age 80 and older versus 0.737 at ages 65–79
- The catch:
- The analysis measured risk discrimination, not whether staging improved care or prevented deaths
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Among 21,570 adults aged 20 and older, a prospective cohort study tested how well a health-staging framework distinguished the risk of dying from heart disease. The researchers assessed the American Heart Association’s cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome framework, which groups related heart, kidney and metabolism-related health problems into stages. They linked health survey data collected in 2011–2018 to death records through December 31, 2019.
Over a median follow-up of 4.75 years, 357 participants died of heart disease. Adding the framework to age improved how well the model distinguished risk compared with age alone. Performance remained strong in the groups aged 20–49, 50–64 and 65–79, but was weakest among adults aged 80 and older. Analyses examining deaths from all causes produced consistent results.
Why it matters
Risk assessment in very old adults may need to account for frailty, multiple illnesses and declining function, the authors suggested. They proposed additional tools such as frailty assessments.
Caveats
The analysis assessed how well staging distinguished risk, not whether using it improved care or prevented deaths. The findings were reported in a conference abstract.
The paper
SSM Health Care; Maimonides Medical Center
AHA Scientific Sessions 2026 Abstract, Nov 2, 2026
Presented at AHA Scientific Sessions 2026, abstract 6263
Comments
Be the first to comment.