Prevention of cardiovascular disease: new guidelines, new tools, but challenges remain

摘要

The publication of the new "Joint British Societies' consensus recommendations for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (JBS3)" in a supplement to Heart raises several questions. Should the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) still be a priority for clinical practice and for health policy decision makers? If so, why? Given the recent guidelines from Europe and America, do we need more? Over the past decades there has been an impressive decline in age standardised mortality due to CVD. In several European countries CVD mortality rates have more than halved, but the case for prevention remains robust. In the majority of countries, CVD is still the leading cause of premature mortality, of reduced disability adjusted life-years (DAIYs), and of high direct and indirect healthcare costs. Even if developments in acute interventions and effective drug treatment have contributed to reduced mortality, changes in health behaviour and risk factor control at the population level explain the major part of the decline.