Calculate Heart Attack Risk

What’s your risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years?

The August issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource tells how you can calculate it and why it’s important.

Heart disease is the leading killer of women in the United States, and about 85 percent of women with coronary heart disease have at least one main risk factor — smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol or hypertension. Because many risk factors are either preventable or treatable, learning about them and taking action can lower the risk of heart attack or stroke.

And the risks add up. A 65-year-old woman with one risk factor has a 2 percent chance of heart attack in 10 years. With four risk factors, the risk is 17 percent.

You can calculate your risk by using the 10-year risk calculator developed by the National Cholesterol Education Program. By plugging your numbers into the formula found on the Web at http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/atpiii/calculator.asp, you can come up with important information to safeguard your health.

Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource is published monthly to help women enjoy healthier, more productive lives. Revenue from subscriptions is used to support medical research at Mayo Clinic. To subscribe, please call 800-876-8633, extension 9PK1.