About the CHA2DS2-VASc Score Calculator
The CHA2DS2-VASc score estimates the risk of stroke in people with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF). It awards points for Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age 75 or over (2 points), Diabetes, prior Stroke, TIA or thromboembolism (2 points), Vascular disease, Age 65–74, and female Sex category, giving a total from 0 to 9. It was introduced by Lip and colleagues in 2010 using the Euro Heart Survey on AF and has been validated in large national cohorts.
This calculator shows your score, the matching adjusted annual stroke rate from the original publication, and the newer CHA2DS2-VA score, which drops the sex point and is used in the 2024 European Society of Cardiology AF guideline. It is meant for clinicians, students, and patients with AF who want to understand the number on their clinic letter.
The score applies to AF not caused by moderate-to-severe mitral stenosis or a mechanical heart valve. It estimates untreated stroke risk only; decisions about anticoagulation weigh this against bleeding risk (for example with HAS-BLED) and personal preferences, and must be made with a clinician.
With the default inputs, the cha2ds2-vasc score is 3 / 9. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the cha2ds2-vasc score calculator
- 1Confirm the patient has non-valvular atrial fibrillation or flutter.
- 2Enter age and sex.
- 3Tick each condition that is present now or in the past.
- 4Read the CHA2DS2-VASc score, the annual stroke rate and the CHA2DS2-VA score.
- 5Discuss stroke prevention with a clinician, considering bleeding risk too.
Formula and method
Heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, vascular disease, age 65–74 and female sex each add one point; age 75 or older and prior stroke, TIA or thromboembolism each add two. The age points are mutually exclusive, so the maximum is 9. The CHA2DS2-VA variant used in the 2024 ESC guideline removes the sex category, giving a maximum of 8.
The annual stroke rates shown are the adjusted rates for each score from Lip et al. (2010) as reproduced in the 2010 ESC atrial fibrillation guideline: 0%, 1.3%, 2.2%, 3.2%, 4.0%, 6.7%, 9.8%, 9.6%, 6.7% and 15.2% for scores 0 to 9. The rates at scores 7–9 rest on very few patients, which is why they do not rise smoothly.
- C
- Congestive heart failure / LV dysfunction (1)
- H
- Hypertension (1)
- A75 / A65
- Age ≥ 75 (2) or 65–74 (1)
- D
- Diabetes mellitus (1)
- S
- Prior stroke, TIA or thromboembolism (2)
- V
- Vascular disease: MI, peripheral artery disease, aortic plaque (1)
- Sc
- Sex category female (1)
Worked examples
70-year-old woman with hypertension
Age 65–74 (1), hypertension (1) and female sex (1) give a CHA2DS2-VASc of 3, with an adjusted stroke rate of 3.2% per year. Without the sex point, CHA2DS2-VA is 2.
78-year-old man with prior TIA and diabetes
Age 75 or over (2), hypertension (1), diabetes (1) and prior TIA (2) total 6. The adjusted stroke rate at a score of 6 was 9.8% per year. As a man, his CHA2DS2-VA is also 6.
58-year-old woman, no other risk factors
The only point is for female sex, giving a CHA2DS2-VASc of 1 but a CHA2DS2-VA of 0. Because sex alone is a risk modifier, she is classed as low risk, like a man scoring 0.
Frequently asked questions
What is a high CHA2DS2-VASc score?+
A score of 2 or more in men, or 3 or more in women, is generally regarded as high stroke risk. Annual stroke rates climb from 2.2% at a score of 2 to about 10% at 6.
Why does female sex add a point?+
Women with AF have a somewhat higher stroke risk than men when other risk factors are present. On its own, however, female sex does not raise risk, which is why newer guidelines use CHA2DS2-VA without the sex point.
What is the difference between CHA2DS2-VASc and CHA2DS2-VA?+
CHA2DS2-VA is identical except that it drops the female sex point. The 2024 ESC guideline adopted it to simplify decisions and treat men and women alike.
How is CHA2DS2-VASc different from CHADS2?+
CHADS2 scores heart failure, hypertension, age 75+, diabetes and stroke (2 points). CHA2DS2-VASc adds vascular disease, age 65–74 and sex, and gives age 75+ two points, making it better at identifying truly low-risk patients.
Does the CHA2DS2-VASc score apply to valvular AF?+
No. It is not used for AF with moderate-to-severe mitral stenosis or a mechanical heart valve, where stroke risk is considered high regardless of the score.
For healthcare professionals and education only. This calculator implements a published formula or score but is not a diagnosis and does not replace clinical judgment. Verify inputs and results against the original source before using them in patient care.
Sources
- Lip GY et al. Refining clinical risk stratification for predicting stroke and thromboembolism in atrial fibrillation using a novel risk factor-based approach: the Euro Heart Survey on AF. Chest 2010
- Friberg L et al. Evaluation of risk stratification schemes for ischaemic stroke and bleeding in 182 678 patients with AF (Swedish AF cohort). Eur Heart J 2012
- Gender differences in atrial fibrillation (Medicina 2023), Table 3: adjusted stroke rate by CHA2DS2-VASc score
- 2024 ESC Guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation (CHA2DS2-VA). Eur Heart J 2024