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Heart and stroke: what's your risk score?Heart and stroke: what's your risk score?

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Asking your doctor to calculate your ‘heart and stroke risk score’ can be the first step to preventing cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease — or CVD for short — is a term that covers:

  • heart disease, which can lead to angina and heart attacks
  • heart failure
  • stroke
  • transient ischemic attacks (mini strokes)
  • peripheral arterial disease (hardened and narrowed arteries in the legs)
  • blood clotting problems.

How the risk score is calculated

Your doctor will consider a range of factors that are known to increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. These include your:
  • age
  • gender
  • blood pressure
  • cholesterol levels.
They will also consider whether you:
  • smoke or have smoked
  • have diabetes
  • have chronic kidney disease
  • have family members who have or have had cardiovascular disease or high cholesterol.
They will then use a ‘risk calculator’ to work out your heart and stroke risk score.

Understanding your risk score

The risk score calculated by your doctor will be a percentage figure that indicates your chances of developing cardiovascular disease in the next five years. A figure of 15% or more indicates that you have a high chance, while a figure of less than 10% indicates that you have low chance. Knowing your score tells you how important it is that you take steps now to prevent cardiovascular disease.

Small changes make a big difference

Based on your risk score, your doctor will advise you about the things you can do to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Whatever your risk, it is important that you follow a healthy lifestyle by not smoking, being active and having a healthy diet. If you are at moderate or high risk, you will probably be advised to take some steps to reduce your risk. These may include exercising more, avoiding salt whenever possible, or taking a cholesterol lowering medicine.

Further information

To arrange to have your risk score calculated or to get further information, talk to your doctor or the nurse at your GP’s rooms. When making an appointment, you may need to ask for a longer consultation.

Visit the NPS website for more information about cardiovascular disease.

The Managing my heart health: at a glance card enables you to monitor your lifestyle risk factors as well as your risk scores. It can be ordered from the NPS website.

MedicinesTalk is a free quarterly newsletter for consumers written by consumers about using medicines wisely. Subscribe to the hard copy version using our online ordering system, or write to MedicinesTalk, National Prescribing Service Limited, PO Box 1147, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012.

Date published: 2011-09-05 00:00:00

Reasonable care is taken to provide accurate information at the date of creation. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical advice from a qualified health professional. Health professionals should rely on their own expertise and enquiries when providing medical advice or treatment. Where permitted by law, NPS disclaims all liability (including for negligence) for any loss, damage or injury resulting from reliance on or use of this information. Read our full disclaimer.

References to brands should not be taken as an endorsement by NPS.