Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk prediction: current state-of-the-art
### Learning objectives Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide, resulting in ~18 million deaths annually.1 Atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) accounts for four out of every five cardiovascular (CV) deaths, one-third of which are premature.1 From 2010 to 2020, there was a global increase of ~19% in CV deaths.1 The economic burden of CVD on the European economy exceeds €200 billion annually.2 The United Nations has set a target of 25% reduction in premature mortality from CVD by 2025, primarily through earlier detection and better preventive strategies. Current guidelines recommend using standardised risk estimation tools (or calculators) for primary prevention in individuals without known ASCVD—this allows both the treating provider and the patient to understand their short-term and lifetime risk of developing ASCVD and its complications such as death, myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke, and also helps classify the population into different risk categories