Menu

Stroke risk check

Am I at risk for a stroke?

Tick the stroke risk factors that apply to you, from the CDC's list. If you have atrial fibrillation (AFib), a second tool below shows the score doctors use to weigh stroke risk.

Last reviewed: By the uncovermyrisk.com editorial team Educational only, not medical advice.

Stroke symptoms right now? Call 911. Sudden face drooping, arm weakness, trouble speaking, loss of balance or vision changes are emergency signs. Use B.E. F.A.S.T.: Balance, Eyes, Face, Arms, Speech, Time to call 911 (CDC).

Which of these apply to you?

From the CDC's list of stroke risk factors. Nothing you tick leaves this page.

Health conditions
Habits
Things you cannot change
Your checklist appears here

What you will see

Which factors apply, split into ones that can be treated or changed and ones that cannot.

Educational only, not medical advice. A checklist, not a diagnosis or a risk score.

Source

CDC, Stroke Risk Factors. A plain checklist of the factors CDC names, not a scored test.

Validated in

Not a validated score, so there is no validation group. CDC's list reflects the US population.

Limits

It counts factors but cannot weigh them against each other or give a percentage. Some factors, like high blood pressure, matter far more than others.

Why stroke risk matters

Someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds, and more than 795,000 people have a stroke each year (CDC). High blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity and diabetes are leading causes, and 1 in 3 US adults has at least one of them (CDC).

CDC groups stroke risk factors into health conditions, habits, and things you cannot change such as age and family history (CDC). The chance of stroke about doubles every 10 years after age 55 (CDC).

If you have AFib: the CHA2DS2-VASc guide

Atrial fibrillation raises the risk of stroke. Doctors use the CHA2DS2-VASc score to estimate that risk and decide about blood thinners (Lip 2010) (ACC/AHA 2023). Use this only if you have been diagnosed with AFib. Learn more in CHA2DS2-VASc explained. Not diagnosed? See the atrial fibrillation screening check. Wondering about a neck artery ultrasound? See the carotid artery screening check.

CHA2DS2-VASc

For people with AFib only.

years
Sex
Have you ever been diagnosed with
Your score appears here

How it is scored

Age 65 to 74: 1 point. Age 75 or older: 2 points. Female: 1 point. Plus the conditions on the left. Maximum 9.

Educational only, not medical advice. Never start or stop a blood thinner on your own.

Sources

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Signs and Symptoms of Stroke. www.cdc.gov/stroke/signs-symptoms/index.html
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stroke Risk Factors. www.cdc.gov/stroke/risk-factors/index.html
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stroke Facts. www.cdc.gov/stroke/data-research/facts-stats/index.html
  4. Lip GY, Nieuwlaat R, Pisters R, Lane DA, Crijns HJ. Refining clinical risk stratification for predicting stroke and thromboembolism in atrial fibrillation using a novel risk factor-based approach. Chest. 2010;137(2):263-272. doi.org/10.1378/chest.09-1584
  5. Joglar JA, Chung MK, et al. 2023 ACC/AHA/ACCP/HRS Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Atrial Fibrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2024;83(1):109-279. doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2023.08.017

Written and maintained by the uncovermyrisk.com editorial team. We do not have a medical reviewer; every claim links to its primary source above. Last reviewed: 2026-10-30. Spotted an error? See About.