Interactive Tool: Are You at Risk for a Heart Attack?

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Click here to find your risk of a heart attack Click here to see an interactive tool. in the next 10 years.

Use this tool if you:

  • Are older than 20.
  • Do not have diabetes.
  • Do not have heart disease.

If you have diabetes or heart disease, your doctor can help you find out your risk for a heart attack.

This tool is one way to find your risk of having a heart attack. This tool is a common one that doctors use. But your doctor might find your risk using a different, but similar, method. All of these methods, including this tool, are based on your risk factors for heart disease. Some methods include risk factors that are not used in this tool (such as diabetes and family history). Methods used to calculate your heart attack risk are not perfect. But they give you and your doctor a good idea about your risk. And they can help you decide if you should take steps to prevent a heart attack.

Before you use this tool, you need to know your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. You will also answer questions about important risk factors for heart disease. These risk factors are:

  • Age and gender. The number of people affected by heart disease increases with age in men after age 45 and in women after age 55.
  • Smoker. Select "Yes" if you have smoked any cigarettes in the past month. Quitting smoking may be the most important step you can take to reduce your risk.
  • Systolic blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure is the first number of your blood pressure reading. For example, if your reading is 120/80 (120 over 80), your systolic blood pressure is 120.
  • Blood pressure medicine. Medicines used to treat high blood pressure include diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, and direct renin inhibitors. Enter "Yes" if you take one of these medicines.
  • HDL cholesterol. HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, is the "good" cholesterol because it helps prevent cholesterol from building up in your arteries. The higher your HDL, the better. An HDL of 60 mg/dL and above protects against heart disease. An HDL of less than 40 mg/dL puts you at a higher risk of heart attack.
  • Total cholesterol. Total cholesterol is the sum of all the cholesterol in your blood. The higher your total cholesterol, the greater your risk for heart disease. A total cholesterol of 240 mg/dL and above puts you at twice the risk of heart disease compared with someone whose cholesterol is below 200 mg/dL. Less than 200 mg/dL gives you a lower risk for heart disease.

This tool is based on information from the Framingham Heart Study. Since 1948 the Framingham Heart Study has studied the progression of heart disease and its risk factors. The data from this study has been used to make a risk assessment. This risk assessment was created by the U.S. National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), part of the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

By: Healthwise StaffLast Revised: April 29, 2011
Medical Review: Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology

© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.

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