This is a faithful reproduction of the Australian cardiovascular disease risk equation — the recalibrated model behind the official Australian CVD risk calculator at cvdcheck.org.au, which sits under the 2023 Australian guideline for assessing and managing cardiovascular disease risk. It estimates your chance of a heart attack or stroke over the next five years.

It is for adults without known heart disease who want to understand their risk before a GP visit. You enter age, sex, smoking status, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes status and a few other factors, and it shows your five-year risk as a number of people out of one hundred who share your profile.

It runs on your device and stores nothing. Use it to walk into your appointment understanding the conversation, rather than hearing the numbers for the first time across the desk.

General information to help you prepare for your GP — not a diagnosis, not personal medical advice.

hl Dr HB Lo Integrative GP

Risk calculator · for your GP visit

Cardiovascular risk calculator (Australia)

A government calculator hands you one number and stops. This shows your 5-year heart-attack-or-stroke risk as a count of real people who include you — next to the version of you with your changeable numbers in range. That gap is yours to take to your GP.

This is a faithful reproduction of the Australian recalibrated CVD risk equation, closely modelled on the official 2023 Australian CVD Risk Calculator used in a heart health check — built here for education. It uses the recalibrated risk equation but doesn't include your postcode (SEIFA) or the diabetes-specific equation, so for some people the number can differ a little from the official tool — your GP runs the exact one. It runs entirely in your browser; nothing you type leaves your device.

Question 1 of 11
Have you already had a heart attack, stroke, mini-stroke, stent or bypass — or been told you have heart or artery disease?

This calculator is for people who haven't had any of these. If you have, your heart risk is already in a different, higher group your GP manages directly — so we'll point you there instead of showing a number that wouldn't apply to you.

How old are you?

The calculator is validated for ages 30–79. You can still enter any age — we'll just flag it.

years
Which measurements fit your body?

This calculator uses ‘male’ and ‘female’ in its maths — that's the instrument's limit, not a judgement. Choose whichever matches the measurements that fit your body. Your GP can factor in anything the calculator can't.

Do you smoke?

One of the things you can actually move.

What's your blood pressure?

The top number (systolic). You'll find it on a recent reading from your GP, pharmacy, or home monitor. Don't have it? That's fine — tick the box and we'll show you what we can.

mmHg (top number)
Are you on blood-pressure-lowering medication now?

A clinical fact the calculator needs — never something to change on your own.

What's your total cholesterol?

You'll find it on a recent blood-test result. We pair it with your HDL on the next screen — it's the balance between them that matters, not either number alone. Don't have it? Tick the box.

mmol/L

And your HDL (‘good’) cholesterol?

HDL is the protective one — higher is better. We never ask you to lower it. It's on the same blood-test result, usually just under total cholesterol. Don't have it? Tick the box.

mmol/L
Do you have Type 2 diabetes?

If you have Type 1 diabetes, choose ‘Type 1’ — the calculator is built for Type 2, so we'll point you to your GP instead of guessing.

Optional — only if you have these from your GP. They help your GP read this with you; they're a flag for a review, never something to change yourself.

% (or leave blank)

Other details your GP uses (time since diagnosis, kidney function, insulin) are assessed directly at your appointment — you don't need them here.

Have you taken cholesterol-lowering medication in the last 6 months?

A clinical fact the calculator needs. Like your BP medication, it's never something to change to move a number.

Has a doctor confirmed an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) on an ECG?

Only if it's been confirmed on a heart trace (ECG). Not sure? That's a useful thing to check — pick ‘Not sure’.

Optional: things that can move your real risk above the calculator number

These don't change the calculator's maths — they're factors the guideline says can push your real risk higher than the number alone. None are required. Surface whichever apply, and your GP can factor them in.

Are you of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background?

Heart risk is often under-read otherwise, so it's worth surfacing — your GP can factor this in.

Family history of early heart disease (a parent or sibling before 60)?

Known chronic kidney disease?

A flag to discuss with your GP — never something to change yourself.

A South Asian or other higher-risk background?

How to read your result

The Australian guideline sorts five-year risk into three bands: low (under 5%), intermediate (5% to less than 10%), and high (10% or more). Your band, more than the exact decimal, is what shapes the discussion about how aggressively to manage blood pressure and cholesterol.

Read the percentage as people, not certainty. A 10% five-year risk means that of one hundred people with your profile, about ten would have a heart attack or stroke in five years and about ninety would not. It is a population estimate applied to you — useful for direction, not a prediction of your individual fate.

The recalibrated Australian equation includes reclassification factors (such as ethnicity and, for some, a coronary artery calcium score) that can move you up or down a band. The single biggest lever for most people is the combination of blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking — which is exactly why those are the things a GP will focus on.

Australian guideline context

The calculation follows the 2023 Australian guideline for assessing and managing cardiovascular disease risk, developed for the Department of Health and hosted as the official calculator at cvdcheck.org.au. That guideline replaced the older Framingham-based Australian absolute risk charts and is the current national standard for primary prevention.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are recommended for earlier and more frequent assessment under the guideline, reflecting higher cardiovascular risk at younger ages. The tool applies the guideline's approach for the inputs you provide.

What to do with the result

Take your risk band to your GP and ask what it means for you: "My five-year CVD risk is in the [low / intermediate / high] band — what does the guideline suggest we do about my blood pressure and cholesterol?" That frames the next steps as a shared plan rather than a single instruction.

Lifestyle factors — not smoking, blood pressure, physical activity — move this number, and your GP can help you set targets. Nothing here is a reason to start or stop a medicine by yourself; that decision belongs with your GP and your actual readings.

Common questions

How accurate is this compared with the official cvdcheck calculator?
It is closely modelled on the same recalibrated Australian equation that powers cvdcheck.org.au and is provided for education. For a formal assessment that becomes part of your record, your GP will run the official calculator with your verified measurements.
I'm under 45 — should I bother?
The guideline focuses formal CVD risk assessment from age 45 (earlier for some groups). If you are younger, the tool can still be informative, but the equation is calibrated for the assessment age ranges — discuss timing with your GP.
What's a 'good' result?
Lower is better, but there is no single safe number. A low band still benefits from healthy blood pressure, cholesterol and not smoking. The point of the tool is to make the trade-offs visible, not to hand you a pass or a fail.

Related on this site

Sources

General information to help you prepare for your GP — not a diagnosis, not personal medical advice. This tool does not start, stop or change any medicine. If something is urgent, call 000.

Want to work with Dr Lo? See how to work with Dr Lo.