Lifetime risk of developing coronary heart disease

Used in 2 entries

For each citing entry, the verbatim excerpt and Likelier's calculation notes (how the source's number was converted to the lifetime-probability framing) are shown below. Click through to read the full claim ledger.

1. [1] First heart attack Risk

   Statistic

   Lifetime risk of coronary heart disease from age 40: 48.6% for men, 31.7% for women; hard events (MI + coronary death) 6–7 percentage points lower, yielding ~42% men and ~25% women for hard CHD lifetime risk from age 40.

   “"[Paraphrase from abstract — full text paywalled] At age 40 years, lifetime risk of coronary heart disease was 48.6% (95% CI 45.8–51.3) for men and 31.7% (29.2–34.2) for women. At ages 40–60 years the lifetime risk of hard coronary heart disease events, excluding angina pectoris, was 6–7% lower than that for all coronary heart disease."”

   Calculation notes

   Total CHD lifetime risk from age 40: men 48.6%, women 31.7%. Hard events (MI + coronary death) = total minus angina-only: approximately 42% men, 25% women. Sex-blended average: (42 + 25) / 2 = ~33.5%. This is the hard-CHD lifetime risk from age 40, which is the closest available measure to "first MI incidence." The Framingham cohort data are from 1971–1975 follow-up; contemporary rates are somewhat lower due to improved treatment, so 33% is a conservative upper bound.
   

   Independence note: Framingham Heart Study is a prospective longitudinal cohort study (Framingham, MA), entirely separate from CDC NHANES cross-sectional surveys and AHA administrative data compilations. Methods are independent: Framingham uses direct clinical examination and event adjudication over decades of follow-up.

   Source date: 1999-01-03 · Accessed: 2026-05-14

2. [2] Menopause CV risk acceleration Risk

   Statistic

   Lifetime risk of coronary heart disease at age 40 is 31.7% (95% CI 29.2–34.2) for women and 48.6% for men — i.e. about one in three women. Framingham Heart Study, 7,733 participants.

   “"Lifetime risk of CHD after 40 years of age was 48·6% (95% CI 45·8–51·3) for men and 31·7% (29·2–34·2) for women. At 70 years of age the remaining lifetime risk was 34·9% for men and 24·2% for women. Interpretation: Lifetime risk at age 40 years is one in two for men and one in three for women."”

   Calculation notes

   Lloyd-Jones, Larson, Beiser & Levy (1999), Lancet 353(9147):89–92 — Framingham Heart Study lifetime-risk analysis (n=7,733, CHD-free at baseline). This is the original source of the "one in three women from age 40" lifetime coronary-heart-disease figure that anchors this entry's native rate. Note the headline figure is for coronary heart disease specifically (not the full CVD umbrella) and is US/Framingham-derived; the entry's caveats flag that broader-CVD and global figures differ.
   

   Source date: 1999-01-09 · Accessed: 2026-06-30

Also cited in these entries

HealthDirect

First heart attack

What are the odds of having a first heart attack before age 70?

1 in 5.9 lifetime(17%)

HealthDirect

Menopause CV risk acceleration

How likely is a woman to develop cardiovascular disease after menopause — and how much does menopause accelerate that risk?

1 in 3.0 lifetime(33%)subgroup