What is a heart disease risk assessment?
Heart disease is a general term that refers to several types of heart conditions. The most common type is coronary artery disease, which can lead to a heart attack. Other types include stroke and heart failure. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.
A heart disease risk assessment, also known as a cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment, is a type of screening tool that measures your risk of heart disease or CVD. Heart disease is a type of CVD, which is a group of diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
A heart disease risk assessment includes a series of questions about certain risk factors, including age, family history, and lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise. It then calculates your risk of developing heart disease in the future. Even if you feel healthy now, the assessment can show if you need to take steps to prevent or reduce your chances of developing heart disease later.
Other names: cardiovascular disease assessment, CVD risk factors assessment, heart disease risk calculator, ASCVD risk calculator
What is it used for?
A heart disease risk assessment is used to check how likely it is that someone will develop heart disease in the next 10 years.
Why do I need a heart disease risk assessment?
The assessment can be helpful for most adults aged 40 or older. If you are younger than 40, you may need an assessment if you have a family history of heart disease or certain CVD risk factors.
Ask your doctor about a heart disease riks assessment
MedlinePlus [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); [updated 2020 Jun 24]. Heart attack; [updated 2020 Jun 10; reviewed 2016 Aug 25; cited 2020 Jul 1]; [about 5 p.]. Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/heartattack.html
