Why a separate tool for diabetes?
The SCORE2 score, used to estimate cardiovascular risk in the general population, doesn't apply to people with diabetes: that's the official position of the European Society of Cardiology. Diabetes changes how other risk factors (blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking) combine enough to warrant a separate model, built and validated specifically on cohorts of people with diabetes: SCORE2-Diabetes.
What this model adds to the standard calculation
On top of the usual cardiovascular variables (age, sex, systolic blood pressure, total and HDL cholesterol, smoking), SCORE2-Diabetes incorporates three diabetes-specific factors: the age at which diabetes was diagnosed, HbA1c (which reflects blood sugar control over recent months), and eGFR (which reflects kidney function). These three factors significantly influence cardiovascular risk in someone with diabetes.
An accepted limitation: no version past age 70
Unlike the standard SCORE2 score, which has a SCORE2-OP variant for people aged 70 and older, no equivalent version of SCORE2-Diabetes exists yet for that age group. This isn't an oversight on our part: it's a genuine gap in current scientific literature. We'd rather explain it clearly than offer an unvalidated estimate.
Who is excluded from this calculation, and why
As with the standard SCORE2, certain situations already place a person in a high-risk category, without any further calculation being necessary or relevant: an already diagnosed cardiovascular disease, or a diabetes complication affecting the kidneys, eyes, or nerves. In these situations, the question is no longer whether cardiovascular follow-up is useful, but how to organize it with your doctor or diabetologist.
A companion to the general cardiovascular risk tool
If you don't have diabetes, or if you live in the United States (where diabetes is already handled differently in the risk calculation), our "What is my cardiovascular risk?" tool is the one that applies to your situation.
