ACC 2025 - Individual-level data collected across 126 worldwide cohorts show controlling modifiable cardiovascular risk factors can potentially benefit life-years for freedom from CVD and death from any cause.

Prof Christina Magnussen (University Heart and Vascular Centre Hamburg, Hamberg, DE) joins us onsite at ACC to discuss modifiable cardiovascular risk factors collected by the Global Cardiovascular Risk Consortium, enrolling over 2 million participants from 133 cohorts across 39 countries and 8 geographic regions.

The study aims to estimate sex-specific lifetime risk for CVD and death, provide the estimated mean lifetime difference between those with and without classical risk factors, evaluate the lifetime difference related to risk factor modification and identify the most useful regional targets for effective primary prevention strategies. The five classical risk factors included arterial hypertension, hyperlipidemia, underweight or overweight/obesity, current smoking and diabetes.

Findings showed that even among those with none of the classical risk factors, the lifetime risk for CVD remained substantial, at 13% in women and 21% in men. The abscence of these risk factors at age 50 was associated with over a decade greater life expectancy than those who had all five risk factors in both sexes. Modification of arterial hypertension from present to absent during midlife was related to the most additional life-years for freedom from CVD.

Interview Questions:
1. What is the importance behind the data collection?
2. What were the key findings?
3. How should your research impact clinical practice?
4. What are the next steps for the Global Cardiovascular Risk Consortium in expanding this research?

Recorded on-site at ACC in Chicago, 2025.

Editors: Yazmin Sadik, Jordan Rance
Videographers: Tom Green, David Ben-Harosh

Support: This is an independent interview produced by Radcliffe CVRM.