Age As a Risk Factor

The risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) is generally dependent on the presence or absence of traditional risk factors. Age is a well-known traditional risk factor, generally considered nonmodifiable. This review discusses the common use of individual age in prediction of CVD incidence using different risk scores, whether or not age as a risk factor can be modified, the methods used to evaluate long-term and short-term CVD risk, appropriate communication of individual risk based on age group and CVD risk, and the influence of age on cardiac and vascular risk factors.