Primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases – the greatest challenge in modern cardiology

Abstract:

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death in most industrially-developed countries. Paradoxically, CVD can be predicted and effectively prevented in most of the population at cardiovascular risk. However, one of the biggest global problems of contemporary medicine is the lack of awareness in the population that the prevention of CVD is prerequisite for reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. In this article, we present several key studies in cardiovascular epidemiology and discuss the implementation of cardiovascular risk assessment tools, particularly the SCORE system recommended by the European Society of Cardiology. We also describe the key measures for primary cardiovascular prevention. In addition, we believe that preventive cardiology should be recognized and developed as a new subspecialty, aimed at reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in various populations. 

Key words:
cardiovascular diseases; primary prevention; risk assessment; risk reduction behavior