Cardiovascular diseases and risk factors in Finland

We summarize here the evidence from the 1960s and 1970s of exceptionally high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Finland. In parallel with voluntary and governmental prevention programs, the level of risk factors and CVD attack rates have shown dramatic improvement in the past 25 years, but the decline has slowed in recent years. This experience strongly supports population-wide strategies for primary prevention, and it also highlights the continued need for primordial prevention directed toward youth in high-risk societies.