An HKU study using an AI-driven risk prediction model has found that patients in Hong Kong with “three highs” have a 70 per cent chance of developing cardiovascular disorders again in 10 years.

The research team said on Friday that the finding not only underscored the importance for those patients to monitor their cardiovascular health, but also the potential of the AI tool to help with personalised treatment and more efficient use of healthcare resources.

The “three highs” – high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high blood lipids – affect 30, 10, and 50 per cent of Hong Kong residents aged between 18 and 84, respectively, according to the Department of Health.

These three metabolic conditions can raise the risk of heart, brain and blood vessel problems such as stroke and coronary heart disease, which have claimed more than 7,000 lives in Hong Kong in 2023.

Assistant professor of HKU’s nursing school Celine Chui Sze-ling said the university started developing P-CARDIAC, the first AI-driven risk assessment model based on the Chinese population, in 2019 to facilitate risk communication.

Chui said existing risk assessment tools used by frontline clinicians were developed decades ago, based on Western population, covering only 20 risk variables.