The honest clinical reality
1 in 4
Deaths in America
Cardiovascular disease kills more Americans than all cancers combined. Most people have never seen their 10-year risk number. That number exists — and it takes 2 minutes to calculate.
What your number means
Four categories.
Plain explanations.
<5%
Low
Reassuring — but not zero. The goal is maintaining what is keeping your number low.
5–7.5%
Borderline
A conversation worth having. Additional testing can clarify whether your true risk is closer to low or intermediate.
7.5–20%
Intermediate
Don't wait for symptoms. Risk reduction — including statin therapy — is clinically appropriate at this level.
>20%
High
Action — not a follow-up. If you are in this category, that conversation with your provider needs to happen now.
Based on the 2023 AHA PREVENT equations · Primary prevention only · Ages 30–79 · Not a substitute for provider advice.
PM
Kyle Keith, PA-C
Family Practice · Texarkana, TX · 17 Years
Plain Medicine exists because the exam room conversation is too short and the internet is too loud. Every issue covers one health topic — the way I would explain it to a patient who deserved a real answer. No complicated answers.