PRIMARY PREVENTION OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY REMAINS IN THE EVIDENCE FOR PRIMARY PREVENTION OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE BY CARL HENEGHAN

• By: Carl Heneghan
• On: January 14, 2011, 15:39

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide,[1] and therefore strategies that aim to improve prevention in people without existing disease (primary prevention) are important for managing the overall burden of disease. This edition of The Cochrane Library adds to the evidence-base in this area with publication of two Cochrane Reviews on such preventive strategies: multiple risk factor interventions for primary prevention of coronary heart disease,[2] and statins for the primary prevention of CVD.[3]

Multiple risk factor interventions aim to alter modifiable risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, high intake of dietary salt, lack of exercise, obesity and high glucose levels in people with diabetes, which increase the risk of coronary heart disease. The Cochrane Review by Ebrahim and colleagues focuses on counselling and educational interventions, and includes 55 trials (an addition of 16 studies compared with the previous version of this review) aimed at modifying one or more cardiovascular risk factors in the adult general population.[2]