Researchers from the University of Washington examined whether race should be included in the MESA risk score, a tool widely used by physicians and patients to predict 10-year risk of coronary heart disease. The study found that removing race and ethnicity from the calculation did not reduce the score’s accuracy, supporting the idea that race—considered a social construct—can be omitted to avoid reinforcing health disparities. This change makes the risk score more inclusive, as many individuals do not identify with the racial categories used in MESA, may be multiracial, or prefer not to factor race into their medical care.
While this is a step toward more equitable healthcare, researchers emphasize that simply removing race from models is not always the best solution and requires careful evaluation. The updated MESA risk score will be available as an online calculator in early 2025.