The ESC launches a new release of HeartScore®

A new release of HeartScore® the interactive tool designed to predict and help manage the risk of heart attack and stroke in Europe created by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) was launched on Tuesday 18 November 2008 at www.HeartScore.org.

This revised version includes relative risk for younger patients, in addition to patient data history and progress monitoring. Three formats are now available to accommodate the users’ needs: a Web-Based version in 13 languages tracking patient data history, a PC version available for download and an online Quick Calculator.

“Target, priorities and objectives were redefined for high risk people according to the 2007 European Guidelines on CVD Prevention, with increased emphasis on lifestyle measures and input from General Practice and Cardiovascular Nursing. The new advice on relative risk in the young was defined to flag those in need of intensive lifestyle advice and to help to avoid premature exposure to drug treatment” explained Professor Ian Graham, Chair of SCORE and HeartScore Steering Committee.

HeartScore® combines rapid total risk prediction with practical management advice, giving a graphical picture of absolute CVD risk, highlighting intervention areas and identifying the relative impact of modifiable risk factors.

“In Sweden, HeartScore is seen as the method of choice for the prediction of CVD total risk. The new option of relative risk assessment opens the door to a better counselling even in the younger groups” says Prof Joep Perk National Coordinator for CVD Prevention for Sweden.

HeartScore® is aimed at supporting clinicians in optimising individual cardiovascular risk reduction. It helps health professionals determine their patients’ absolute risk of dying from a CVD in the next 10 years more accurately and promote better heart health management and encourage adherence to the 2007 European Guidelines on CVD Prevention in clinical practice . HeartScore counts nearly 13,000 health professional users across Europe.

In addition to the European High/Low risk versions, several national versions of HeartScore have been developed to more accurately reflect the risk of the population . Country-specific and translated versions of HeartScore® have been developed in close collaboration with the National Coordinators for CVD Prevention and the National Cardiac Societies. HeartScore® Sweden, first country-specific version in local language launched in 2005, was followed by HeartScore® Germany, HeartScore® Greece, HeartScore® Bosnia & Herzegovina, HeartScore® Poland, HeartScore® Russia, HeartScore® Spain and HeartScore® Cyprus.*

As explains Prof Mirza Dilic, National Coordinator for CVD Prevention for Bosnia & Herzegoovina, “¨we launched the revised version of HeartScore Bosnia and Herzegovina on the very same day the ESC did (18th November 2008) at a meeting where 400 General Practitioners and Cardiologists were invited. We also used this opportunity to launch the Bosnia Herzegovina Guidelines for patients, Guideline -Count Your CV Risk by Yourself, Guideline for HTA, Guideline for Obesity, Guideline against Smoking. We expect that the Guidelines for self counting of CV risk which include practical examples and which are tailored to the patients can be useful, but also could be a good example for other countries. We will evaluate the impact of this version in everyday practice and will summarise the results after 6 months”.

“The Republic of Srpska from Bosnia and Herzegovina is announcing the new release of HeartScore to all its health care centres with the support of its Ministry of Health Care. The interactive program is locally experienced as a practical implementation tool to implement the European Guidelines on CVD Prevention which have been translated into our local languages” says Prof Dusko Vulic, National coordinator for CVD Prevention for the Republic of Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

A roll-out plan of additional national versions has been defined for 2009-2010 within the framework of the EuroHeart Programme of the European Commission and according to countries specific requests. HeartScore Germany in its PC version will be launched by the end of 2008 and both Romania and Slovakia are actively preparing their national versions to be announced in the early months of 2009.

Further updates will be produced as knowledge evolves (new cohort studies, risk factors, end points) and centralised data collection & analysis will help shape further European preventive actions.