2025
Hafiz Qamar Zaman
SU72-MSCSW-F24-011
Comparative Analysis of Artificial Intelligence Algorithms for Heart Disease Prediction
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Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains one of the leading causes of death globally,
emphasizing the need for early and accurate prediction. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and
Machine Learning (ML) techniques have emerged as powerful tools in healthcare, enabling
the development of predictive models using clinical and demographic data.
This review aims to compare various AI algorithms employed for heart disease prediction,
including Logistic Regression (LR), Decision Trees (DT), Random Forests (RF), Support
Vector Machines (SVM), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Naïve Bayes (NB), Gradient
Boosting (XGBoost), and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). Performance metrics such as
accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and AUC-ROC are considered to evaluate the
effectiveness of each model. The analysis indicates that ensemble methods and deep learning
approaches generally outperform traditional classifiers.
This paper also discusses the challenges in implementing AI models in clinical practice and
outlines future research directions.
Introduction
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are responsible for approximately 17.9 million deaths each
year, representing 32% of all global deaths. Early detection and prevention are crucial in
managing the disease burden. Traditional diagnostic techniques often rely on manual
interpretation and clinical expertise, which may not always be consistent or accurate. In
recent years, Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly Machine Learning (ML), has gained
prominence in the medical field for its ability to analyze complex datasets and uncover
patterns that can enhance decision-making.
This review aims to provide a comprehensive comparison of different AI algorithms used in
heart disease prediction. It highlights their strengths, limitations, and performance based on
standard evaluation metrics, thereby assisting researchers and healthcare professionals in
selecting the most appropriate model for clinical application.
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1. Background and Core Concepts
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), collectively referred to as heart diseases, are a group of
disorders that affect the heart and blood vessels. These include coronary artery disease
(CAD), heart failure, arrhythmias, congenital heart defects, and others. Among these,
coronary artery disease is the most prevalent and is primarily caused by the buildup of plaque
in the coronary arteries, leading to reduced blood flow to the heart muscle. If not diagnosed
and treated in time, heart disease can lead to severe complications such as heart attack, stroke,
and sudden cardiac arrest.
Heart disease remains the leading cause of mortality globally. According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), approximately 17.9 million people die each year due to CVDs,
accounting for nearly 32% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, more than 75% occur in low-
and middle-income countries, largely due to lack of access to early detection and adequate
healthcare services.
Key risk factors for heart disease include:
Modifiable factors: hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, smoking, physical
inactivity, unhealthy diet, and excessive alcohol consumption.
Non-modifiable factors: age, gender (higher risk in males), family history, and genetic
predisposition.
Early prediction and diagnosis play a pivotal role in reducing the disease burden. Traditional
diagnostic methods—such as electrocardiograms (ECG), echocardiograms, angiography, and
stress testing—while useful, often depend on expert interpretation and may not always be
feasible for large-scale screening.
Given the complexity and multifactorial nature of heart disease, there is a growing need for
predictive models that can assess risk more accurately. In recent years, Artificial Intelligence
(AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques have emerged as promising tools for
automating risk assessment and improving diagnostic accuracy. These models are capable of
identifying hidden patterns in large datasets and have demonstrated significant potential in
predicting the onset of heart disease at early stages—making them invaluable in both
preventive and clinical cardiology.
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2. Related Work on Heart Disease Prediction
Over the past decade, numerous studies have explored the application of artificial intelligence
(AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques in predicting heart disease. These studies
demonstrate the potential of computational models to support clinical decision-making by
accurately classifying patients at risk based on historical medical data.
Detrano et al. (1989) introduced the UCI Cleveland Heart Disease dataset, which has
become a benchmark for testing ML algorithms. Many subsequent researchers have used this
dataset to evaluate the performance of different classifiers.
Majid et al. (2020) conducted a comparative study using Support Vector Machines (SVM),
Logistic Regression (LR), and Decision Trees (DT) on the Cleveland dataset. Their results
showed that SVM provided the best accuracy (~86%) among the tested algorithms.
Kumar et al. (2018) implemented an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) on the same dataset,
achieving an accuracy of 89%. They highlighted the advantage of neural networks in
capturing non-linear patterns in medical data, particularly for complex disease profiles like
CVD.
Gudadhe et al. (2010) compared Decision Trees, Naïve Bayes, and Support Vector Machines
for heart disease classification. Their findings showed that Decision Trees performed better in
terms of interpretability, while SVM achieved higher accuracy.
Chaurasia and Pal (2014) applied ensemble techniques, including Random Forest and
Bagging, and found that ensemble learning significantly improved model robustness and
performance, with Random Forest yielding an accuracy of 90.2%.
Chen and Guestrin (2016) introduced XGBoost, a scalable gradient boosting method, which
was later adapted by researchers like Saxena and Sharma (2021) for heart disease
prediction. Their study showed that XGBoost achieved 91% accuracy, outperforming other
conventional classifiers.
Alizadehsani et al. (2018) used the Z-Alizadeh Sani dataset with various ML models and
emphasized the importance of feature selection. They demonstrated that irrelevant features
can degrade model performance, whereas domain-specific features can significantly enhance
predictive capability.
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Recent trends also highlight the use of deep learning architectures like Convolutional Neural
Networks (CNNs) and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), particularly when combined with
Internet of Things (IoT) data or wearable sensors. While these models show promise, their
use is still limited due to high computational requirements and lack of interpretability.
These studies collectively underline that while traditional ML methods offer interpretability
and ease of use, advanced models like ensemble methods and neural networks tend to provide
better predictive accuracy. However, model selection should be guided by data quality,
clinical goals, and computational resources.
3.Role of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force in modern healthcare,
offering innovative solutions for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment planning, and patient
monitoring. By simulating human intelligence using algorithms that learn from data, AI
systems can analyze large and complex datasets, identify hidden patterns, and provide
decision support with minimal human intervention.
In the context of cardiovascular diseases, AI technologies have been increasingly used to
improve early detection, reduce diagnostic errors, and assist in risk stratification. Traditional
medical diagnostics often rely heavily on the experience of clinicians, which can introduce
variability and subjectivity in assessments. AI-driven systems, on the other hand, offer
consistency, speed, and data-driven insights, thereby enhancing the accuracy and reliability of
medical evaluations.
Machine Learning (ML), a subset of AI, plays a central role in this revolution. ML
algorithms can be trained on historical patient data—including demographics, laboratory
tests, imaging data, and lifestyle factors—to predict the likelihood of heart disease in new or
undiagnosed patients. Common ML tasks in healthcare include classification (e.g., disease vs.
no disease), regression (e.g., predicting survival time), and clustering (e.g., patient risk
profiles).
More advanced AI techniques, such as Deep Learning (DL), have also been applied in
cardiac imaging and electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation. For example, convolutional
neural networks (CNNs) can automatically extract and learn important features from ECG
waveforms or cardiac MRI scans, facilitating early detection of abnormalities without manual
feature engineering.
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Benefits of AI in cardiovascular healthcare include:
Early diagnosis: AI can detect subtle patterns not easily visible to humans, allowing earlier
intervention.
Predictive analytics: It helps identify patients at high risk of future cardiac events.
Automated decision support: AI-based tools can assist clinicians in making evidence-based
decisions.
Resource optimization: AI can prioritize high-risk patients for faster care and reduce
unnecessary tests.
Remote and personalized care: Integration with wearable devices enables continuous
monitoring and personalized alerts.
Despite its potential, the deployment of AI in clinical settings comes with challenges. Issues
such as data privacy, model interpretability, integration with electronic health records
(EHRs), and the need for regulatory approvals must be addressed to ensure safe and effective
use.
Nonetheless, AI continues to redefine the possibilities in heart disease prediction by shifting
the paradigm from reactive treatment to proactive prevention, ultimately contributing to
improved patient outcomes and more efficient healthcare delivery.
3.
Comparative Analysis
References
