The Cardiovascular
ToolsCalculators

CHADS₂ score

Older stroke-risk score for atrial fibrillation; largely superseded by CHA₂DS₂-VASc.

CHADS₂ score
Congestive heart failure
Hypertension
Age ≥75 years
Diabetes mellitus
Prior stroke or TIA
Result0 points

Low risk — reassess with CHA₂DS₂-VASc, which better identifies truly low-risk patients.

Adjusted annual stroke risk
1.9 %/year

When to use

  • Historical score for AF stroke risk. CHA₂DS₂-VASc is preferred because it better discriminates genuinely low-risk patients.

Formula

CHF (1) + Hypertension (1) + Age ≥75 (1) + Diabetes (1) + Stroke/TIA (2). Maximum 6 points.

References

  1. Gage BF, et al. Validation of clinical classification schemes for predicting stroke: results from the National Registry of Atrial Fibrillation. JAMA. 2001;285(22):2864–70.