Weight management in cardiology practice: challenges and opportunities

Obesity poses a clear challenge to the cardiovascular landscape. In this viewpoint, we advocate that we need to prepare for the practical implementation of weight management in Dutch cardiology practice by 1) educating ourselves and our peers on obesity and its treatment thereof, 2) considering how to facilitate the appropriate amount of clinical follow-up, and 3) establish local arrangements with all health care professionals involved in the chain of lifelong atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk management. Pending the results of ongoing clinical trials involving weight management therapies tested for other cardiovascular conditions (e.g. heart failure and atrial fibrillation), and the evolving landscape of health care budgets and capacity, it is to be expected that the role of weight management therapies will become increasingly prominent in cardiology practice: we therefore argue it would be wise to make an early start with systematic implementation.