Reducing premature cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in people with atherosclerotic vascular disease: the world heart federation roadmap for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND1.1. The importance of secondary cardiovascular preventionEvery year, around 35 million people have an acute coronary or cerebrovascular event. About one quarter of these events occur in individuals with known atheroscleroticvascular disease. The number of people with prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD) worldwide is likely to be around 100 million [1e3]. The five-year rateof recurrent myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure orcardiovascular death among patients with known CVD is between 20% and 30%, which has been estimated to befour to five times greater than the rate among moderateand high-risk individuals without known CVD [4]. Such individuals are eligible for secondary preventive therapie...