2016 European Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice

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Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention is defined as a coordinated set ofactions, at the population level or targeted at an individual, that are aimed ateliminating or minimizing the impact of CVDs and their relateddisabilities.1CVD remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, despite improvements inoutcomes. Age-adjusted coronary artery disease (CAD) mortality has declinedsince the 1980s, particularly in high-income regions.2 CAD rates are now less than half what theywere in the early 1980s in many countries in Europe, due to preventive measuresincluding the success of smoking legislation. However, inequalities betweencountries persist and many risk factors, particularly obesity3 and diabetes mellitus(DM),4 have beenincreasing substantially. If prevention was practised as instructed it wouldmarkedly reduce the prevalence of CVD. It is thus not only prevailing riskfactors that are of concern, but poor implementation of preventive measures aswell.5,6 Prevention should bedelivered (i) at the general population level by promoting healthy lifestylebehaviour7 and(ii) at the individual level, i.e. in those subjects at moderate to high risk ofCVD or patients with established CVD, by tackling unhealthy lifestyles (e.g.poor-quality diet, physical inactivity, smoking) and by optimising risk factors.Prevention is effective: the elimination of health risk behaviours would make itpossible to prevent at least 80% of CVDs and even 40% of cancers.8,9