Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) Calculator with 10-Year Survival

How it works

CCI = age points (< 50: 0 · 50–59: 1 · 60–69: 2 · 70–79: 3 · ≥ 80: 4) + 1 each for MI, heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, dementia, chronic lung disease, connective tissue disease, peptic ulcer, mild liver disease, uncomplicated diabetes; 2 each for hemiplegia, moderate–severe kidney disease, diabetes with end-organ damage, localised solid tumour, leukaemia, lymphoma; 3 for moderate–severe liver disease; 6 each for metastatic solid tumour and AIDS. 10-year survival = 0.983^(e^(0.9 × CCI)).

The Charlson Comorbidity Index (Charlson et al., 1987) weights 19 conditions by their effect on one-year mortality and is the most widely used comorbidity measure in clinical research, risk adjustment and surgical planning. The 1994 age-adjusted version adds one point per decade from age 50, and the estimated 10-year survival formula follows MDCalc’s implementation of the original paper. Survival estimates come from 1980s cohorts and overstate risk for many modern patients, so use them for comparison rather than individual prognosis.

Worked example

A 65-year-old (2 age points) with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (1) and uncomplicated type 2 diabetes (1): CCI = 2 + 1 + 1 = 4. Estimated 10-year survival = 0.983^(e^3.6) = 53%.

Sources: Charlson ME et al. A new method of classifying prognostic comorbidity in longitudinal studies. J Chronic Dis 1987 · Charlson M et al. Validation of a combined comorbidity index. J Clin Epidemiol 1994

Frequently asked questions