You can assess your own risk of cardiovascular disease using this online tool from the American Heart Association.
For details on the Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk, see Ref (1).
It is important to estimate your risk because if your risk is greater than 7.5% over the next ten years, the 2013 American Heart Association Guideline recommends treatment with a statin at that level, see Ref (2).
Not all experts agree with the new cholesterol treatment recommendations. See the New York Times article, Ref (3) for a discussion of the issue.
What follows are two charts, the first from Ref (1) and the second from Ref (2) which well summarize both articles:
Risk Assessment Recommendations (Ref 1)
Cholesterol Treatment Recommendations (Ref 2)
Resources:
(1) 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk. [Full Text PDF]
(2) 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol to Reduce Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk in Adults. [Full Text PDF]
(3) Studies Back Guidelines for Wider Use of Statins, New York Times, July 14, 2015.
