CVD Risk Calculator

PREVENT™ is a newer model from the American Heart Association. It works for ages 30 to 79 and includes BMI, kidney function (eGFR), and statin use. It can estimate risk for heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. The Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE) is an older model that works for ages 40 to 79. It uses race as a factor but does not include BMI or kidney function. PREVENT is generally recommended for most adults today because it covers more health factors and a wider age range.

If you are between 30 and 79 years old and have your BMI and eGFR values, choose PREVENT™. It is the more up-to-date model. If you are between 40 and 79 and do not have your BMI or eGFR, or if your doctor specifically uses Pooled Cohort Equations, choose PCE. Both models give a valid 10-year risk estimate.

A score of 12% means that out of 100 people with your same health profile, about 12 would be expected to have a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years. This falls in the intermediate risk category (7.5% to 20%). Your doctor may suggest lifestyle changes and possibly medicine like a statin to lower that number.

No. This calculator is for primary prevention only. That means it is designed for people who have not yet had a heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular event. If you already have heart disease, you are considered high risk. Talk to your doctor about a secondary prevention plan instead.

eGFR stands for estimated glomerular filtration rate. It measures how well your kidneys filter waste from your blood. A normal eGFR is 90 to 120 mL/min/1.73m². You can find your eGFR on a blood test report, often listed under kidney function or renal panel. This value is only needed in PREVENT™ mode.

Non-HDL cholesterol is your total cholesterol minus your HDL (good) cholesterol. It measures all the "bad" types of cholesterol in your blood, including LDL. The PREVENT™ model uses non-HDL cholesterol in its formula. You do not need to enter it separately — the calculator figures it out from your total cholesterol and HDL values.

The PREVENT™ model includes statin use as a separate factor. If you already take a statin, your cholesterol numbers are already lower than they would be without the drug. The model accounts for this so your risk score stays accurate. Without this adjustment, the calculator might underestimate your true risk.

Both the PREVENT™ and Pooled Cohort models were developed using large studies with hundreds of thousands of people. They are well-validated tools used by doctors worldwide. However, no risk calculator is perfect. Your actual risk depends on many factors these models do not cover, like family history, diet, exercise, and stress. Use the result as a guide, not a diagnosis.

The TC:HDL ratio is your total cholesterol divided by your HDL cholesterol. A ratio below 4.0 is considered good. A ratio above 5.0 may signal higher heart disease risk. The calculator computes this ratio automatically from the values you enter. It is shown for reference but is not directly used in the PREVENT or PCE formulas.

The Pooled Cohort Equations were built using separate formulas for White and African American adults. Race affects the coefficients used in the math. The newer PREVENT™ model was designed to work without race as a variable. The AHA removed race from PREVENT because it is a social category, not a biological one, and the model performs well without it.

The therapy section shows how your 10-year ASCVD risk could change if you start a statin, take blood pressure medicine, or quit smoking. Each scenario recalculates your risk with those changes applied. For example, Scenario 1 shows the effect of adding a statin alone, and Scenario 2 shows a statin plus a blood pressure drug together. These are estimates, not guarantees.

The calculator assumes a moderate-intensity statin lowers non-HDL cholesterol by about 30%. It recalculates your risk using the reduced cholesterol value. In PREVENT™ mode, the statin variable is also set to "yes" in the formula. This gives a rough projection of how much your risk could drop with statin therapy.

The combinations table shows your projected 10-year ASCVD risk for every possible mix of four interventions: statin, blood pressure medicine, quitting smoking, and aspirin. Each row shows a different combination with a checkmark or dash. This helps you and your doctor compare options and see which combination would have the biggest impact.

If you checked the box for moderate-to-severe chronic kidney disease or familial hypercholesterolaemia in the pre-check section, the calculator skips the score. These conditions automatically put you in the high-risk group. You do not need a number — you should go straight to talking with your doctor about treatment.

No. The PREVENT™ model is validated for ages 30 to 79, and the Pooled Cohort model is validated for ages 40 to 79. Using the calculator outside these age ranges would give unreliable results. If you are under 30, talk to your doctor about other ways to assess your heart health.

The risk gauge is a visual dial that displays your 10-year ASCVD risk as a percentage. The color changes based on your risk category: green for low, yellow for borderline, orange for intermediate, and red for high. It gives you a quick visual summary of where you stand.

Most guidelines suggest checking your CVD risk every 4 to 6 years starting at age 40. If you have risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, or smoking, your doctor may check more often. You should also recalculate after any major health change, like starting a new medicine or quitting smoking.

Yes. Both the PREVENT™ and Pooled Cohort models include diabetes as a risk factor. Having diabetes raises your score. However, if you have type 1 diabetes with organ damage or very long-standing type 2 diabetes, your actual risk may be higher than the score shows. Discuss this with your doctor.

The step-by-step section shows the actual math behind your risk score. It displays the formulas, the values plugged in, and the final calculation. This is useful for medical students, clinicians, or anyone who wants to understand exactly how the number was computed. It uses the real coefficients from the published PREVENT or PCE equations.

The orange "stale" badge appears when you change any input after your last calculation. It reminds you that the results on screen no longer match your current inputs. Press the Calculate Risk button again to refresh your results with the updated values.

Yes. Click the Print Results button below the results section. This opens your browser's print dialog. You can print to paper or save as a PDF. The input fields and buttons are hidden in the printout so you get a clean report to share with your doctor.

ASCVD stands for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. It covers heart attacks and strokes caused by blocked arteries. Heart failure means the heart cannot pump blood well enough to meet the body's needs. CVD total combines both ASCVD and heart failure into one overall risk number. These three outcome options are available only in PREVENT™ mode.

If your risk is borderline (5–7.5%) or intermediate (7.5–20%), talk to your doctor about next steps. They may suggest lifestyle changes like eating healthier, exercising more, or quitting smoking. They might also order extra tests like a coronary calcium scan to get more information. Medicine like a statin may be considered depending on your full health picture.

Family history is not directly included in the PREVENT™ or PCE formulas. However, having a parent or sibling who had a heart attack or stroke at a young age is a known risk enhancer. If your score is borderline or intermediate, a strong family history may push your doctor to recommend more aggressive treatment. Be sure to mention family history during your visit.

Total cholesterol alone does not tell the whole story. HDL is the "good" cholesterol that protects your heart. The risk formulas need both numbers to calculate non-HDL cholesterol (total minus HDL), which represents the harmful types. A person with high total cholesterol but very high HDL may have a lower risk than someone with the same total but low HDL.