Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Greece: Looking Beyond the Classics. A narrative review.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology and Public Health

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in Greece, despite mortality reductions.
• Improvements are mainly in older populations; cardiometabolic risk remains high.
• The Greek cardiovascular landscape is impacted by aging, pandemics, socioeconomic factors, and evolving treatment targets.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent evidence on non-traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease in Greece.
• To highlight the role of factors beyond conventional risk assessment.
• To inform a broader cardiovascular prevention framework.

Main Methods:

• This is a narrative review.
• It summarizes recent evidence on non-traditional risk factors.
• Focuses on the Greek population.

Main Results:

• Traditional risk factors like dyslipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes are prevalent and suboptimally controlled.
• Non-traditional factors include lipoprotein(a), inflammation, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, chronic kidney disease, COPD, sleep issues, infections, environmental exposures, mental health, and social determinants.
• These factors contribute to the overall cardiovascular burden.

Conclusions:

• A broader cardiovascular prevention framework is needed, extending beyond conventional risk factors.
• Integrating non-traditional determinants can improve risk stratification and individualized care.
• This approach may help manage the evolving cardiovascular burden in Greece.