The Global Cardiovascular Risk Consortium

February 25, 2026 updated by: Prof. Dr. Stefan Blankenberg, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf

Predicting Cardiovascular Risk by Geographical Region and Sex Using Classical Cardiovascular Risk Factors

The Global Cardiovascular Risk Consortium (GCVRC) brings together harmonized individual-level data from currently more than 2 million (anticipated: approximately 3 million) individuals across 133 cohorts, 40 countries, and 6 continents, with recruitment ongoing. The GCVRC examines the impact of classical cardiovascular risk factors-such as body-mass index, systolic blood pressure, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, current smoking, and diabetes-on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death from any cause worldwide.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Detailed Description

A small number of modifiable risk factors accounts for a significant proportion of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, the CVD burden attributable to classical risk factors depends on the populations studied and the methodologies used.

The Global Cardiovascular Risk Consortium (GCVRC) is an international collaboration that continuously includes cohort studies from around the world to improve cardiovascular risk prediction. The GCVRC uses extensively harmonized individual-level data from currently more than 2 million individuals from 133 cohorts, 40 countries and 6 continents categorized in 8 geographical regions (based on a modification of WHO and United Nations definitions) - North America, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and the Middle East, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Russia, Asia, and Australia.

The consortium has a special focus on classical, potentially modifiable cardiovascular risk factors: body-mass index, systolic blood pressure, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, current smoking, and diabetes. Key research questions include examining the impact of these factors on major outcomes by geographical region and sex, as well as estimating associated lifetime risk and the potential lifetime difference when modifying these risk factors.

This work is critical for developing regionally tailored CVD prevention and treatment strategies, identifying residual risk, and improving global cardiovascular health.

Based on GCVRC data, a paper on the effect of classical risk factors on new-onset CVD and all-cause mortality was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2023 (doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa2206916), followed by a study evaluating the effect of classical risk factors on different lifetime estimates, also published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2025 (doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2415879).

Further studies evaluate the effect of projecting risk factor reductions on CVD and all-cause mortality at the population level.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

3000000

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

  • Name: Prof. Dr. med. Stefan Blankenberg
  • Phone Number: +49 (0)40 741056800
  • Email: s.blankenberg@uke.de

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Prof. Dr. med. Christina Magnussen
  • Phone Number: +49 (0) 40 741058206
  • Email: c.magnussen@uke.de

Study Locations

  • Germany
    • Hamburg
      • Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany, 20251
        • Recruiting
        • University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
          • Prof. Dr. med. Christina Magnussen
          • Phone Number: +49 (0)40 741058206
          • Email: c.magnussen@uke.de

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

The GCVRC uses harmonized individual-level data from currently more than 2 Mio individuals from 133 cohorts, 40 countries and 6 continents, categorized in 8 geographical regions - North America, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and the Middle East, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Russia, Asia, and Australia.

The database provides information on cardiovascular risk factors, including body-mass index, systolic blood pressure, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, current smoking, and diabetes, as well as data on major cardiovascular outcomes and death.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Population-based individual-level data with available information on the classical cardiovascular risk factors including body-mass index, systolic blood pressure, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, current smoking, and diabetes, as well as the outcomes of interest.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participants with age below 18 years
  • No information on the outcome of interest
  • No information on the exposure of interest (CVD risk factors)
  • History of CVD at baseline

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cardiovascular disease (CVD)
Time Frame: Median follow-up of 7-10 years
Event rates of CVD and CVD subtypes: First fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction, unstable angina, coronary revascularization, ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, and cardiovascular or unclassifiable death. The type of outcome measurement varies across cohorts. CVD cases and subtypes are assessed by questionnaire information, national hospital discharge registry data, causes of death registry data or central death registries depending on the study protocol of the respective cohort studies.
Median follow-up of 7-10 years
Death from any cause
Time Frame: Median follow-up of 7-10 years
Number of deaths from any cause.
Median follow-up of 7-10 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Prof. Dr. med. Stefan Blankenberg, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

September 20, 2019

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 18, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 18, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

July 20, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 25, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • GCVRC001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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