Understanding Cardiovascular Risk and Prevention: Insights from Professor Pasquale Perrone-Filardi
Below is a summary of a recent interview with Professor Pasquale Perrone-Filardi. The reading time is approximately 5 minutes.
Key Takeaways
- LDL-Cholesterol (LDL-C) is the most critical risk factor for atherosclerotic disease, a leading cause of death and illness worldwide.
- Reducing LDL-C is essential for preventing cardiovascular diseases across all risk categories.
- The ESC/EAS guidelines provide clear targets and recommendations for managing cardiovascular risk.
- It's crucial to identify and treat patients at very high cardiovascular risk, including those with diabetes, severe chronic kidney disease, or subclinical atherosclerosis.
- General practitioners (GPs) play a vital role in recognizing and managing high-risk patients.
- Barriers to accessing new therapies for cardiovascular risk reduction need to be addressed.
- The benefits of LDL reduction are significant, especially for high-risk patients, leading to fewer cardiovascular events and improved quality of life.
Watch the interview here or read the summary below:
In a recent interview, Professor Pasquale Perrone-Filardi, a full Professor of Cardiology at the Federico Secondo University of Naples and the current president of the Italian Society of Cardiology, shared his expert insights on the critical role of LDL-Cholesterol (LDL-C) in cardiovascular health. He emphasized that LDL-C is the most significant risk factor for atherosclerotic disease, which is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally, particularly in developed countries.
Professor Filardi highlighted the importance of reducing LDL-C across all cardiovascular risk categories to implement effective prevention strategies. He pointed out that the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) guidelines provide clear targets and high-level recommendations for different cardiovascular risk categories. These guidelines are crucial for refining the identification of patients at very high cardiovascular risk, which includes not only those with previous cardiovascular events but also new categories of patients who are at similar risk levels.
The professor stressed the need to recognize and treat these high-risk patients, such as those with diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors, severe chronic kidney disease, or subclinical atherosclerosis, in the same way as patients with previous cardiovascular events. He noted that barriers to accessing new therapies for reducing cardiovascular risk exist in many countries, and it is essential to spread the new paradigm within the clinical community, especially among general practitioners (GPs).
Professor Filardi also discussed the significant benefits of LDL reduction, particularly for high-risk patients. He explained that the higher the cardiovascular risk, the greater the absolute reduction in risk and the more substantial the benefits from LDL reduction. This approach not only helps prevent major cardiovascular events and avoidable deaths but also reduces comorbidities and improves the quality of life for patients who might otherwise suffer from severe disabilities due to strokes or myocardial infarctions.
In conclusion, Professor Filardi's insights underscore the importance of comprehensive cardiovascular risk management and the need for widespread implementation of ESC/EAS guidelines to improve patient outcomes and reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases.
