Most important measures to prevent cardiovascular diseases

Risk assessment

To prevent cardiovascular events (such as myocardial infarction or stroke), one must start by assessing risk. This includes both healthy individuals and those with pre-existing cardiovascular disease or other conditions that increase risk, such as diabetes.

Risk assessment

The risk of cardiovascular disease is calculated by taking into account factors such as age, blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking. The risk is very high for people with known heart disease.

Treatment decision

After discussion with your physician, treatment and prevention measures will be decided, tailored to your individual needs.

Basic recommendations for everyone

Regardless of risk, everyone should

• Quit smoking

• Follow a healthy lifestyle with proper diet, physical activity and maintaining the right weight.

Physical activity

Aim for at least 150-300 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week - any activity is better than none!

Healthy eating

To reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease:

• Adopt the Mediterranean diet.

• Replace saturated fats with healthy ones, such as olive oil and avocados.

• Reduce salt and sugar intake, and eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Medications for cardiovascular risk factors

For people at high risk, medication may be necessary to control blood pressure, cholesterol or sugar. The decision on drug treatment is made in consultation with the physician.

Treatment goals

Blood pressure and cholesterol targets depend on risk. The higher the risk, the stricter the treatment and targets.

Gradual approach to treatment

Treatment is gradual: start with diet and medication to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and progress according to response and risk.

Use of statins

Statins are the first line of treatment to lower LDL cholesterol. If the target is not achieved, a combination of drugs may be necessary.

Antihypertensive treatment

For systolic blood pressure, the target is 120-130 mmHg for those younger than 70 years and <140 mmHg for those older than 70 years (up to 130 mmHg if tolerated). For diastolic pressure, the target is always less than 80 mmHg.

Diabetes control

For diabetics, the target is a glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) below 7.0%. Metformin is the first drug for people without cardiovascular disease, while newer drugs are recommended for people with cardiovascular disease.