The Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk (ASCVD) risk score estimator is a tool designed to assess the 10-year risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease for individuals between the ages of 40 and 79. It considers a variety of personal health inputs including age, gender, race, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, smoking status, diabetes status, and whether the individual is undergoing blood pressure treatment.

Inputs for the ASCVD calculator include:

- Age in years
- Gender: categorized as Male or Female
- Race: either African American or Other
- Total Cholesterol, measured in mg/dL or mmol/L
- HDL Cholesterol, measured in mg/dL or mmol/L
- Systolic Blood Pressure, measured in mmHg or kPa
- Smoking status: Yes or No
- Diabetes status: Yes or No
- Blood Pressure Treatment status: Yes or No

Here's how the ASCVD calculation unfolds:

1. **Unit Conversion**:
   - If the cholesterol levels are given in mmol/L, they're multiplied by 38.67 to convert to mg/dL.
   - If the systolic blood pressure is in kPa, it is converted to mmHg by multiplying by 7.50062.

2. **Selection of Coefficients**:
   - Coefficients specific to the individual's race and gender form the basis of the calculations. These include distinctive values related to age, cholesterol levels, HDL levels, and systolic blood pressure, as well as the statuses of smoking and diabetes.

3. **Logarithmic Transformation**:
   - Intermediate values are calculated using logarithmic functions for age, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure.

4. **Risk Score Calculation**:
   - The calculator amalgamates various terms, including age-related factors, cholesterol and HDL contributions, systolic blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, and medication treatment, to derive a holistic score. This score is derived by combining the selected coefficients with the intermediate logarithmic values.

5. **Conversion to Risk Percentage**:
   - Using race- and gender-specific constants, the intermediate risk score is translated into a percentage risk value. This is achieved by adjusting the score and converting it to a percentage of 100 using exponential functions.

6. **Risk Interpretation**:
   - The calculated risk percentage is categorized into one of four distinct risk levels:
     - Low risk: Less than 5%
     - Borderline risk: Between 5% and 7.5%
     - Intermediate risk: Between 7.5% and 20%
     - High risk: 20% or more

The result of this calculation is a comprehensive output detailing the risk percentage and its corresponding risk category. This information is crucial for individuals and healthcare providers aiming to tailor preventive practices and interventions based on the assessed cardiovascular risk.

The ASCVD calculator estimates the 10-year risk of heart attack or stroke in adults aged 40-79 based on factors like age, cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking. It follows ACC/AHA guidelines to aid decisions on preventive measures, including statin use.

Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk (ASCVD) risk score

2013 ACC / AHA guideline on the assessment of cardiovascular risk: a report of the American College of Cardiology / American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines.