Introduction
The Framingham Risk Score is a simple way to estimate your chance of having a heart attack, stroke, or other heart disease event in the next 10 years. Doctors have used this tool for decades to help spot heart problems before they happen. It is based on a large study that tracked thousands of people over many years in Framingham, Massachusetts.
This calculator uses your age, sex, blood pressure, cholesterol levels or BMI, smoking status, and diabetes status to find your risk. It follows the General Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) risk model published by D'Agostino and colleagues in 2008.2 You can choose between two models: a lipid-based model that uses total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol lab values, or a BMI-based model that uses body mass index when lab results are not available.
Along with your 10-year risk score, this tool calculates your cardiovascular age (also called heart age) and compares your risk to normal and optimal levels for someone of your age and sex. It also shows a full step-by-step breakdown of the math behind your result.
Note: The model behind it was derived in 8,491 Framingham participants who attended an examination between 30 and 74 years of age and were free of cardiovascular disease.2 This calculator accepts ages 30 to 79 and is for people who have not already been diagnosed with heart disease. It is meant to support your doctor's advice, not replace it.
How to Use Our Framingham Risk Calculator
Enter your health details below to find your 10-year risk of heart disease. The calculator will show your risk as a percentage, your heart age, and how your risk compares to normal and optimal levels for your age and sex.
Pre-Screen: Choose whether the patient is currently taking lipid-lowering medication such as statins. If "Yes" is selected, the calculator will pause because it needs untreated cholesterol values to give accurate results.
Calculation Model: Pick "Lipid-Based" if you have lab results for cholesterol. Pick "BMI-Based" if you do not have lab values and want to use body mass index instead.
Sex: Select "Male" or "Female." The calculator uses different formulas for each sex.
Age: Enter the patient's age in years. This tool works for adults between 30 and 79 years old.
Systolic Blood Pressure: Enter the top number from a blood pressure reading in mm Hg. A normal reading is about 100 to 120 mm Hg.
Smoker: Select "Yes" if the patient currently smokes or "No" if they do not.
Diabetes: Select "Yes" if the patient has been diagnosed with diabetes or "No" if they have not.
Hypertension Treatment: Select "Yes" if the patient currently takes medication for high blood pressure. This changes which formula the calculator uses for blood pressure.
Total Cholesterol (Lipid-Based model only): Enter the baseline or untreated total cholesterol level. Click the unit button to switch between mg/dL and mmol/L.
HDL-C (Lipid-Based model only): Enter the baseline or untreated HDL cholesterol level. Click the unit button to switch between mg/dL and mmol/L.
BMI (BMI-Based model only): Enter the patient's body mass index in kg/m². You can also use the built-in height and weight fields to calculate BMI automatically.
Press "Calculate" to see your results. Press "Reset" to clear all fields and start over.
What Is the Framingham Risk Score?
The Framingham Risk Score is a tool doctors use to estimate your chance of having a heart attack, stroke, or other heart problem in the next 10 years. It was created from a long-running study in Framingham, Massachusetts, that has tracked heart health in thousands of people since 1948. Other widely used cardiovascular risk tools include the ASCVD risk calculator based on the Pooled Cohort Equations and the newer PREVENT calculator from the AHA.
How Does It Work?
The calculator looks at a few key facts about your health: your age, sex, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and whether you smoke or have diabetes. It plugs these numbers into a proven math formula to give you a percentage. That percentage is your 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. A lower number means a lower chance of heart problems.
What Do the Results Mean?
Your result falls into one of three groups:
- Low risk: Less than 10%. Your chance of a heart event is small.
- Moderate risk: Between 10% and 20%. You should talk to your doctor about ways to lower your risk.
- High risk: Above 20%. Your doctor may suggest medicine, diet changes, or exercise to protect your heart.
What Is Cardiovascular Age?
The calculator also gives you a "heart age." This number compares your heart health to a person with normal blood pressure, normal cholesterol, and no smoking or diabetes.2 If your heart age is higher than your real age, it means your risk factors are aging your heart faster than normal. Many doctors use heart age to help patients understand their results in a simple way.
Lipid-Based vs. BMI-Based Models
This calculator offers two models. The lipid-based model uses your total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol from a blood test. It is more accurate. The BMI-based model uses your body mass index instead of cholesterol. It is helpful when lab results are not available, such as during a routine office visit.
Who Should Use This Calculator?
This tool is designed for adults between 30 and 79 years old who have not already been diagnosed with heart disease. It works best with untreated (baseline) cholesterol and blood pressure values. If you already take statins or other cholesterol-lowering drugs, the results may not be accurate. Always share your results with your doctor before making any health decisions.