An online tool that estimates when a person will have a heart attack or stroke has been developed by the NHS in an attempt to warn people to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
GPs will be asked to promote the new calculator which compares “heart age” with biological age by asking individuals to provide information such as age, height and weight along with details of their medical history.
Health experts behind the tool say that it is most accurate if individuals can also provide readings of cholesterol and blood pressure.
It means a woman of 41 who smokes, does little exercise and has a family history of heart disease could be warned that she is likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke in ten years.
Professor John Deanfield, an NHS cardiologist who helped to develop the tool, told The Daily Telegraph: “Understanding your heart age can be a real wake up-call. It can be that all-important nudge to take action and make lifestyle changes to improve your heart health.”
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Dr Aseem Malhotra, a consultant cardiologist at Frimley Park Hospital, expressed his concern that the new tool did not take into consideration a person’s eating habits and exercise. He told the newspaper: “It is a pretty crude evaluation only to use weight as a proxy for lifestyle.”