Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
Cardiovascular disease prevention is the long-term management of modifiable risk to reduce heart attack, stroke and peripheral artery disease.
Key takeaways
- Absolute risk combines age, blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, diabetes and other factors; one laboratory value does not define the whole plan.
- Prevention after a vascular event is more intensive than primary prevention because baseline recurrence risk is higher.
- Medicines complement smoking cessation, activity, nutrition and blood-pressure control rather than replacing them.
The listings below are not automatically appropriate for every risk factor; benefit and adverse effects depend on individual absolute risk.
Estimating and changing risk
A validated risk calculator can support shared decisions in people without known vascular disease. Family history, kidney disease and some inflammatory conditions may modify interpretation. The most valuable change differs by person: stopping smoking or treating severe hypertension may outweigh a small lipid adjustment.
Where medicines fit
Statins reduce LDL cholesterol and vascular events in appropriately selected people. Blood-pressure and diabetes medicines are chosen according to readings, organ health and comorbidities. Antiplatelet medicines are standard in many secondary-prevention settings but can cause bleeding and are not routine primary prevention for everyone.
When to seek urgent care
Call emergency services for chest pressure, sudden facial droop, arm weakness or speech difficulty, fainting, severe breathlessness or a limb that becomes abruptly painful, pale and cold.
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