Introduction
The PREVENT Calculator estimates your risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke, and heart failure over the next 10 to 30 years. It uses the AHA PREVENT™ equations, developed by the American Heart Association in 2023 to replace the older Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE). These newer equations are more accurate because they include kidney health (eGFR) and metabolic health (BMI) — two important risk factors the old calculator left out. If you are looking for the older model, see our ASCVD Risk Calculator or broader CVD Risk Calculator.
This tool is built for primary prevention only. That means it is for adults aged 30 to 79 who have not already been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. If you already have heart disease, these estimates do not apply to you.
To use the calculator, enter your age, sex, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, eGFR, BMI, and whether you smoke, have diabetes, or take medications for blood pressure or cholesterol. The tool then calculates three separate risk scores: total cardiovascular disease (CVD), atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), and heart failure (HF). It also provides treatment guidance based on your results and shows a step-by-step breakdown of the math behind your ASCVD score.
Share your results with your doctor. This calculator is an educational tool and does not replace professional medical advice.
How to Use Our PREVENT Calculator
Enter your health details below to estimate your 10-year and 30-year risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. The calculator will also show treatment guidance based on your results.
Sex: Choose your biological sex. The calculator uses different equations for males and females.
Age: Enter your age in years. You must be between 30 and 79 years old to use this tool. If you need to verify your exact age, our Age Calculator can help.
Cholesterol Units: Pick mg/dL or mmol/L based on your lab report. The calculator will convert your values automatically if you switch units.
Total Cholesterol: Enter your total cholesterol number from a recent blood test. For a deeper look at how your cholesterol values relate to each other, try our Cholesterol Ratio Calculator.
HDL Cholesterol: Enter your HDL or "good" cholesterol number from a recent blood test.
Systolic Blood Pressure: Enter the top number of your blood pressure reading in mmHg. Valid values are 90 to 200. You can also explore your Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) for additional insight into your blood pressure profile.
Currently Smoking: Select Yes if you currently smoke cigarettes. Select No if you do not.
Anti-Hypertensive Medication: Select Yes if you currently take medicine to lower your blood pressure.
Lipid-Lowering Medication (Statin): Select Yes if you currently take a statin or other medicine to lower your cholesterol.
eGFR: Enter your estimated glomerular filtration rate from a recent lab test. This measures how well your kidneys work. Valid values are 15 to 140. If you need to calculate this value from your lab results, use our GFR Calculator. A related measure you may also have on your lab report is creatinine clearance, which you can check with our Creatinine Clearance Calculator.
BMI: Enter your body mass index in kg/m². If you do not know your BMI, click the "Calculate BMI" button built into the form, or use our standalone BMI Calculator for a more detailed breakdown including BMI categories.
Diabetes: Select Yes if you have been diagnosed with diabetes. Select No if you have not. If you have diabetes and want to track your blood sugar management, our A1C Calculator can convert between average blood glucose and HbA1c values.
Once all fields are filled in, click the Calculate button. Your results will show estimated risk percentages for total cardiovascular disease, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), and heart failure. You will also see treatment suggestions and a step-by-step breakdown of the math behind your ASCVD score.
What Is the AHA PREVENT Calculator?
The AHA PREVENT™ (Predicting Risk of cardiovascular disease EVENTs) calculator estimates your chance of developing heart disease over the next 10 or 30 years. It was created by the American Heart Association in 2023 to replace older risk tools like the Pooled Cohort Equations. It is designed for adults ages 30 to 79 who do not already have heart disease.
What Does It Measure?
This calculator gives you three separate risk scores:
- Total CVD Risk — Your overall chance of any cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. For a general overview of cardiovascular risk without the PREVENT model, you can also see our CVD Risk Calculator.
- ASCVD Risk — Your chance of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which means heart attack and stroke caused by blocked arteries. Our ASCVD Risk Calculator uses the older Pooled Cohort Equations if you want to compare results.
- Heart Failure Risk — Your chance of developing heart failure, a condition where the heart cannot pump blood well enough.
What Makes PREVENT Different?
Older heart risk calculators did not include kidney health or body weight. The PREVENT model adds eGFR (a measure of how well your kidneys work) and BMI (body mass index) as required inputs. These two factors have a strong link to heart disease. You can determine your eGFR with our GFR Calculator and your BMI with our BMI Calculator if you do not already have these values. The model also removes race as an input, which makes it more fair and accurate across populations.
Another key change is that PREVENT accounts for whether you already take blood pressure medicine or a statin. This matters because these medications change how your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers relate to your actual risk.
What Inputs Do You Need?
To use this calculator, you need your age, sex, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, eGFR, and BMI. You also need to know if you smoke, have diabetes, or take blood pressure or cholesterol medications. Most of these values come from a basic blood test and a doctor visit. If you want to understand how your cholesterol numbers compare, our Cholesterol Ratio Calculator can provide additional context. For understanding body composition beyond BMI, tools like our Body Fat Calculator or Waist to Hip Ratio Calculator offer complementary insights.
How Are the Results Used?
Doctors use your PREVENT risk score to decide whether you may benefit from treatments like statins or blood pressure drugs. A 10-year ASCVD risk below 5% is considered low. A risk of 5% to 7.4% is borderline. A risk of 7.5% to 19.9% is intermediate, and 20% or higher is high. The higher your score, the more likely your doctor will recommend medication along with lifestyle changes.
Lifestyle factors play a major role in reducing cardiovascular risk. Maintaining a healthy weight, staying active, and eating well can all help lower your score over time. Our Calorie Calculator and TDEE Calculator can help you understand your daily energy needs, while our Weight Loss Calculator can support safe weight management goals. Tracking cardiovascular fitness with tools like our VO2 Max Calculator or Target Heart Rate Calculator can also guide exercise planning.
This tool is meant for primary prevention only. If you have already had a heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular event, this calculator does not apply to you. Always discuss your results with your doctor before making any health decisions.