ASCVD Risk Calculator (10-Year, Pooled Cohort Equations)

ACC/AHA Pooled Cohort Equations 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk estimate.

For educational and clinical reference. Not a substitute for medical judgment. See the medical disclaimer.
10-year ASCVD risk
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Risk category
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References

  1. Goff DC Jr, Lloyd-Jones DM, Bennett G, et al. 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk. Circulation. 2014;129(25 Suppl 2):S49-S73.
  2. Grundy SM, Stone NJ, Bailey AL, et al. 2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA Guideline on the Management of Blood Cholesterol. Circulation. 2019;139(25):e1082-e1143.
  3. Arnett DK, Blumenthal RS, Albert MA, et al. 2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. Circulation. 2019;140(11):e596-e646.

What is ASCVD Risk Calculator (10-Year, Pooled Cohort Equations)?

The ASCVD Risk Calculator implements the ACC/AHA Pooled Cohort Equations, published with the 2013 ACC/AHA cardiovascular risk guideline. It estimates a patient's 10-year probability of a first hard atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease event — nonfatal myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease death, or fatal or nonfatal stroke. The equations are sex- and race-specific (White or other / African American) and use nine inputs: age, sex, race, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive treatment, diabetes, and smoking. The result drives statin and blood-pressure therapy decisions in the 2018 cholesterol and 2019 primary prevention guidelines. It applies to adults 40–79 without known ASCVD. This is a decision-support tool, not a diagnosis — interpret results with a clinician alongside family history, Lp(a), coronary calcium, and other risk enhancers.

How to use

  1. Select sex and race group, then enter age (40–79), total cholesterol, and HDL.
  2. Enter systolic BP and mark BP treatment, diabetes, and current smoking.
  3. The 10-year ASCVD risk percentage and ACC/AHA risk category update instantly.

Frequently asked questions

What is the ASCVD risk calculator?

It implements the ACC/AHA Pooled Cohort Equations (2013) to estimate 10-year risk of a first atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease event — nonfatal myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease death, or fatal or nonfatal stroke.

How is the result categorised?

ACC/AHA bands: low (< 5%), borderline (5–7.4%), intermediate (7.5–19.9%), and high (≥ 20%) 10-year ASCVD risk. Statin therapy discussions usually start in the intermediate band.

Who should not use this calculator?

It applies to adults 40–79 without known ASCVD and with LDL < 190 mg/dL. Patients with established cardiovascular disease, LDL ≥ 190, or on-treatment values need different assessment.

ASCVD vs PREVENT — which should I use?

The newer AHA PREVENT equations (2023) add kidney function, BMI and statin use, drop race, and estimate heart failure too. Recent guidance prefers PREVENT; the Pooled Cohort Equations remain widely used in guidelines and EHRs.

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