ASCVD Risk Calculator — 10-Year Heart Attack & Stroke Risk

ASCVD Cardiovascular Risk Calculator

Free 2013 ACC/AHA cardiovascular risk calculator. Pooled Cohort Equations, validated for ages 40-79. 9 inputs, 30 seconds. Heart-attack risk in 10 years.

Last updated: 5/2/2026 Sources verified: 5/2/2026

This calculator requires JavaScript to compute results. The methodology and formulas are documented below — you can compute manually using the inputs and equations.

How the ASCVD calculator works

The 2013 ACC/AHA ASCVD calculator uses the Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE) — a set of risk-prediction equations derived from four large US cohorts (Framingham, ARIC, CHS, CARDIA). The equations take 9 inputs:

Age (40-79)
Sex (male / female) — separate equations
Race (White or Other / African American) — separate equations
Total cholesterol
HDL cholesterol
Systolic blood pressure
Currently treated for hypertension? (yes/no)
Diabetes (yes/no)
Current smoker (yes/no)

The output is a 10-year risk percentage for ASCVD events: heart attack, ischemic stroke, or death from coronary heart disease. Mathematically, the calculation uses log-transformed variables and sex-race-specific coefficients to output a survival probability, which is converted to a risk percentage.

What your risk score means

10-year risk	Band	What clinicians typically do
< 5%	Low	Lifestyle focus; recheck in 4-6 years
5% to < 7.5%	Borderline	Risk-enhancer conversation; consider CAC
7.5% to < 20%	Intermediate	Moderate-intensity statin discussion + lifestyle
≥ 20%	High	High-intensity statin recommended + intensive lifestyle

The thresholds are from the 2018 AHA/ACC cholesterol guideline. They’re not absolute — they trigger conversations, not prescriptions.

When this calculator is most useful — and when it isn’t

The ASCVD calculator works best for:

Adults aged 40-79 with no prior heart attack, stroke, peripheral artery disease, or revascularization
People deciding whether to start a statin (the calculator is built around this question)
Annual primary-care risk reviews
Tracking risk reduction over years after lifestyle changes or treatment

It is less useful for:

People with prior cardiovascular events (they’re already in secondary prevention; different rules apply)
People under 40 or over 79 (use lifetime-risk calculators or specialist evaluation)
People with severe chronic kidney disease (the new PREVENT calculator handles this better)
LDL > 190 mg/dL or familial hypercholesterolemia (these get statins regardless of ASCVD score)

ASCVD vs PREVENT — the new calculator

In 2024, the AHA released the PREVENT equations: an updated cardiovascular risk calculator that replaces race with measured factors (kidney function, urine albumin, BMI, social deprivation index), broadens age range to 30-79, and adds a heart-failure outcome alongside heart attack and stroke. PREVENT is gradually replacing ASCVD in clinical practice. ASCVD remains the more widely available tool and is still endorsed in current guidelines.

FINDRISC diabetes risk — diabetes is a major ASCVD risk multiplier
BMI calculator — BMI is a key target for risk reduction
Waist-to-hip ratio — abdominal obesity adds CV risk independent of BMI
STOP-BANG sleep apnea — untreated OSA worsens BP and CV risk

Sources verified: 2026-05-02

The Pooled Cohort Equations were developed by the ACC/AHA Risk Assessment Work Group and published in Circulation 2014. They were endorsed in the 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk and the 2018 cholesterol guideline. The PREVENT equations (Khan et al., 2024) are now gradually replacing them; both are valid current-guideline tools.

Privacy

Calculation runs entirely in your browser. We never see, log, or store your individual inputs (age, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.). Anonymous, aggregate events (e.g., which risk band) help us improve the tool. This is informational, not medical advice — see your doctor before starting or changing any treatment.

Frequently asked questions

Does this calculator predict whether I'll have a heart attack?

Not for any individual. The ASCVD calculator gives a 10-year probability for someone with your inputs. If your risk is 15%, that means out of 100 people with the same numbers, ~15 will have a heart attack or stroke in 10 years and ~85 won't. Which group you're in depends on factors the calculator doesn't fully capture (genetics, family history detail, inflammation, vascular anatomy).

Why does the calculator ask about race? Is that scientific?

The Pooled Cohort Equations were derived from US cohorts that observed different cardiovascular event rates between Black and non-Black Americans. The race input attempts to correct for this. It's a known limitation — race is partly a proxy for socioeconomic factors, healthcare access, and chronic stress, not biology. The 2024 PREVENT calculator from AHA replaces race with kidney function, social deprivation, and other measurable inputs.

I'm under 40 or over 79. Can I use this?

The calculator is validated only for ages 40-79 with no prior heart attack/stroke. Outside this range, the equations don't apply reliably. If you're under 40 with risk factors (family history of premature CAD, very high cholesterol, hypertension), discuss with your doctor — there are different age-appropriate tools (lifetime risk calculator, lipid genetics).

What's a coronary calcium score (CAC) and should I get one?

CAC is a low-dose CT scan (~$50-300, sometimes covered by insurance) that measures calcium deposits in the heart's arteries. CAC = 0 in someone at intermediate ASCVD risk roughly halves their estimated risk; CAC > 100 typically pushes toward starting a statin. It's the single most useful test to refine borderline-intermediate risk decisions. ACC/AHA guidelines explicitly endorse it for shared decision-making.

Does my data leave my device?

No. The calculation runs in your browser. We never see your individual inputs. Anonymous bucket counts (e.g., 'low/intermediate/high risk') help us improve the page; no personally identifying information is collected.