Modern approach toward primary prevention
of cardiovascular diseases
Approach
Clinical approach toward prevention of cardiovascular
diseases (CVD) and the general (public) or governmental approach, are
complementary. Primary prevention of CVD includes persons who know a little or
nothing about them, and who are not diseased. The persons are conditionally
healthy. The physician informs them individually or in groups, on the causes
(etiology) and the way of development of CVD. In this case, the most practical
method of informing is the informing of families on diseases in general.
Purpose of this Site is to inform physicians, especially our younger colleagues
(beginners) on the current development stadium of medicine, and particularly of
cardiology and to point out that the primary task is prevention and early
detection of the disease, as well as informing of healthy people on the
possibility of prevention.
The government, or as we used to say, the society, is obliged to initiate,
conduct and monitor developments and activities related to prevention.
Firstly, we have to detect and point to risk factors. We also point to risk
factors within a family. It would be perfect if we could begin with education of
children. We should use the experience of developed countries, primarily the
USA.
Prime goal is to inform children, as well as adults on the harmful effects of
smoking. The next major goal related to risk factors in our environment, and
wider, is obesity among children as well as adults.
We should encourage them to change their lifestyle, to perform more physical
activity, to walk and to do recreation sports.
We should also warn the patients as well as other family members about harmful
effects of high cholesterol foodstuffs, about the importance of consumption of
vegetables, fruits and other food rich in vitamins and other nutritive and
protective ingredients.
It is necessary, and according to the US standards obligatory, to conduct the
research of further risk factors related to CVD within a family, especially
genetic risk factors.
So we have to change our approach within the current phase of the restructuring
of the patient treatment system.
We are undergoing the privatization process within the health care system, which
obligatorily requires a different approach toward prevention of many diseases,
in this case of cardiovascular diseases.
Additionally, a private physician should be legally bounded to study risk
factors within a family and to effectively modify them. So the role of a private
physician should be changed into the role of a family doctor. His task regarding
CVD would be, to investigate risk factors within a family and to point to
harmful effects of food rich in cholesterols and triglycerides.
Circulation. 1997;95:2329-2331.
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