[Epidemiology and prevention of cardiovascular diseases]

Epidemiology and prevention of coronary artery disease. The author summarizes the most important risk factors of atherosclerosis and epidemiological data of coronary heart disease. According to epidemiological data during the next 10-20 years cardiovascular diseases will be the leading cause of death all around the world. Smoking is the most important risk factor causing half of all avoidable death, half of these deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases. Three strategies of prevention are discussed: population strategies, high risk strategy and secondary prevention. All of these preventive strategies should be implemented to reach the goal. During the last years many drug studies were finished proving the effectiveness of aspirin, statins, ACE inhibitors and beta blockers as an effective tool of prevention.