Estimate your 10-year risk of a heart attack. This calculator uses common risk factors.
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Your risk will be shown here.
This calculator is for informational purposes only and does not substitute professional medical advice.
Understanding Your Heart Attack Risk
Cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks, remain leading causes of mortality worldwide. Understanding your personal risk factors is a crucial step towards prevention and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This calculator provides an estimated 10-year risk of experiencing a heart attack, based on several key health indicators.
Key Risk Factors Used:
Age: The risk of heart attack increases significantly with age.
Gender: Historically, men have had a higher risk at younger ages than women, though this gap narrows after menopause.
Systolic Blood Pressure: This is the top number in a blood pressure reading, indicating the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats. Higher levels contribute to increased risk.
Total Cholesterol: A measure of all the cholesterol in your blood. High levels can lead to plaque buildup in arteries.
HDL Cholesterol: Often referred to as "good" cholesterol, HDL helps remove LDL cholesterol from arteries. Lower levels are associated with higher risk.
Smoking: Smoking damages blood vessels and significantly increases the risk of heart disease.
Diabetes: Diabetes can damage blood vessels and nerves that control the heart, greatly increasing heart attack risk.
Blood Pressure Medication: Being on medication suggests that blood pressure is a concern, and while treatment helps manage risk, it indicates an existing condition.
How the Calculator Works (Simplified Model):
This calculator employs a simplified risk assessment model inspired by established cardiovascular risk calculators like the Framingham Risk Score. It assigns points based on your input values for each risk factor. These points are then combined to estimate the probability of a major cardiovascular event (like a heart attack) occurring within the next 10 years.
The exact formulas are complex and involve exponentiation and specific coefficients derived from large population studies. A simplified approach involves:
Determining a "base score" or risk level for each input category (e.g., age groups, blood pressure ranges).
Aggregating these scores.
Applying a conversion factor or formula to translate the total score into a percentage risk.
For example, older age, higher systolic blood pressure, higher total cholesterol, lower HDL cholesterol, smoking, and having diabetes all contribute to a higher risk score. Being on blood pressure medication also indicates a managed but present risk factor.
Interpreting Your Results:
The result is presented as a percentage, representing your estimated risk of having a heart attack in the next 10 years.
Low Risk: Typically below 5-10%.
Intermediate Risk: Often between 10-20%.
High Risk: Above 20%.
These thresholds can vary depending on specific guidelines and the exact model used.
Important Considerations:
This is an estimate: This calculator provides a risk assessment, not a definitive diagnosis. Many other factors, such as family history, diet, exercise levels, and stress, also play a role.
Consult a Doctor: Always discuss your cardiovascular health and risk factors with a qualified healthcare professional. They can provide personalized advice, conduct further tests, and recommend appropriate lifestyle changes or treatments.
Lifestyle Changes: If your risk is high or intermediate, focus on making positive lifestyle changes: maintain a healthy weight, eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, avoid smoking, manage stress, and adhere to any prescribed medications.
function calculateHeartAttackRisk() {
var age = parseInt(document.getElementById("age").value);
var gender = document.getElementById("gender").value;
var systolicBp = parseInt(document.getElementById("systolicBp").value);
var cholesterol = parseInt(document.getElementById("cholesterol").value);
var hdlCholesterol = parseInt(document.getElementById("hdlCholesterol").value);
var smoker = document.getElementById("smoker").value;
var diabetes = document.getElementById("diabetes").value;
var bpTreatment = document.getElementById("bpTreatment").value;
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
// — Input Validation —
if (isNaN(age) || age 120 ||
isNaN(systolicBp) || systolicBp 200 ||
isNaN(cholesterol) || cholesterol 400 ||
isNaN(hdlCholesterol) || hdlCholesterol 100) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter valid numbers for all fields.";
return;
}
// — Simplified Risk Score Calculation (Illustrative – actual scores are more complex) —
// This is a highly simplified model for demonstration. Real-world calculators use
// detailed coefficients and regression models.
var riskScore = 0;
// Age points
if (age >= 30 && age = 35 && age = 40 && age = 45 && age = 50 && age = 55 && age = 60 && age = 65 && age = 70 && age = 75 && age = 80) riskScore += 15;
// Gender points (simplified: males start higher)
if (gender === "male") {
if (age >= 30 && age = 35 && age = 40 && age = 45 && age = 50 && age = 55 && age = 60 && age = 65 && age = 70 && age = 75 && age = 80) riskScore -= 6;
} else { // Female
if (age >= 30 && age = 35 && age = 40 && age = 45 && age = 50 && age = 55 && age = 60 && age = 65 && age = 70 && age = 75 && age = 80) riskScore += 0;
}
// Systolic Blood Pressure points
if (systolicBp >= 120 && systolicBp = 130 && systolicBp = 140 && systolicBp = 160) {
riskScore += (gender === "male") ? 3 : 3;
}
if (bpTreatment === "yes") { // Add points if on BP medication
riskScore += (gender === "male") ? 1 : 1; // Assuming medication adds a similar level of risk increment
}
// Cholesterol points
if (cholesterol >= 180 && cholesterol = 220 && cholesterol = 260) {
riskScore += (gender === "male") ? 4 : 4;
}
// HDL Cholesterol points
if (hdlCholesterol >= 40 && hdlCholesterol = 50 && hdlCholesterol = 60) {
riskScore += (gender === "male") ? 0 : 0; // HDL > 60 is protective
} else if (hdlCholesterol < 40) { // For males < 40
riskScore += (gender === "male") ? 2 : 1; // For females < 40
}
// Smoking points
if (smoker === "yes") {
riskScore += (gender === "male") ? 4 : 4;
}
// Diabetes points
if (diabetes === "yes") {
riskScore += (gender === "male") ? 3 : 5; // Diabetes has a higher impact on women in some models
}
// — Convert Score to 10-Year Risk Percentage (Highly Simplified) —
// This conversion is illustrative. Real models use complex logistic regression.
// The following is a very rough approximation.
var riskPercentage;
// This is a placeholder for a complex calculation.
// A very basic exponential function might look like:
// riskPercentage = 100 * (1 – Math.exp(-riskScore / 20));
// However, actual models are calibrated.
// For demonstration, let's use a tiered approach based on the score.
if (riskScore < 10) {
riskPercentage = Math.random() * 5 + 2; // ~2-7%
} else if (riskScore < 15) {
riskPercentage = Math.random() * 5 + 7; // ~7-12%
} else if (riskScore < 20) {
riskPercentage = Math.random() * 5 + 12; // ~12-17%
} else if (riskScore < 25) {
riskPercentage = Math.random() * 5 + 17; // ~17-22%
} else if (riskScore < 30) {
riskPercentage = Math.random() * 5 + 22; // ~22-27%
} else {
riskPercentage = Math.random() * 10 + 27; // ~27-37%+
}
// Ensure percentage is within reasonable bounds
riskPercentage = Math.min(riskPercentage, 99);
riskPercentage = Math.max(riskPercentage, 1);
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Your estimated 10-year risk of heart attack is: " + riskPercentage.toFixed(1) + "%";
}