Heart Disease Risk Assessment
Reviewed
Also called: cardiovascular disease assessment, CVD risk factors assessment, heart disease risk calculator, ASCVD risk calculator
A heart disease risk assessment, or cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment, is a screening tool that measures your risk of heart disease or CVD.
Specimen: none (questionnaire)
Why this test may be ordered
- To estimate your risk of developing heart disease in the next 10 years (or 30-year/lifetime risk with some tools).
- To help guide prevention strategies before heart problems occur.
- Commonly used for people ages 40–75 without known heart disease; also may be used for younger people with a family history or certain risk factors.
Preparation and collection
You don't need any special preparations for a heart disease risk assessment.
There are different types of heart disease risk assessments. These screening tools each include general questions about your health and possible risk factors for heart disease. You can complete a heart risk assessment online or at your health care provider's office.
There is no risk in taking a questionnaire.
Understanding results
Heart disease risk assessment results are calculated based on data from clinical studies on heart disease. Your results will be given as a percentage.
- Lower percentage: A lower percentage means you have less risk of developing heart disease. Limitation: Some risk factors, such as age and family history, can't be controlled. Next step: But you can take steps to lower your risk for some factors, for example by: Eating a healthy diet, Getting regular physical activity, Limiting alcohol use, Quitting smoking.
- Higher percentage: A higher percentage means you have a greater risk. Limitation: But aspirin therapy has some risks and is only recommended for people with certain risk factors for heart disease. Talk to your provider about the risks and benefits before you start taking a daily aspirin. Next step: If your percentage is high, your provider may recommend steps to lower your risk. If you are at a high risk of heart disease, your provider may also recommend medicines.
- This is a screening tool, not a diagnostic test. It estimates risk but does not confirm the presence of heart disease.
- Results are based on population data and may not perfectly predict individual risk.
- False reassurance is possible if risk is underestimated; unnecessary worry is possible if risk is overestimated.
- The assessment does not account for all possible risk factors.
What to do next
If you have questions about your results, talk to your provider. Depending on the results of your assessment, your provider may order additional tests including: Cholesterol levels, a test that measures cholesterol levels in your blood, Electrocardiogram, a test that measures electrical signals in your heart, Stress test, a test that measures how well your heart handles physical activity.
- Age
- Sex
- Height and weight
- Blood pressure
- Cholesterol levels (if known from a blood test, but the questionnaire itself does not require a blood draw; you can answer based on recent lab results or leave blank if unknown – follow your provider's instructions.)
Evidence source
Source: U.S. National Library of Medicine (MedlinePlus). Practices and reference ranges may differ in your country.
U.S. National Library of Medicine: Heart Disease Risk Assessment