Averting a pandemic health crisis in Europe by 2020: what physicians need to know regarding cholesterol management.
BACKGROUND
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents a major cause of premature death, disability, and escalating healthcare costs throughout Europe. According to a recent report by the Stockholm Network (an independent European 'think tank'), major political, economic, social, and medical changes are urgently needed with respect to cholesterol management to help prevent CVD.


METHODS
To identify key cholesterol management issues that practitioners should consider to help prevent an impending European health crisis, our collective experience of policies and practices relating to CVD and cholesterol management in our respective countries was consolidated and used to develop this commentary.


RESULTS
Physicians and healthcare workers are uniquely positioned to make immediate and meaningful improvements in preventing and treating CVD if they recognize and address a handful of key clinical issues pertaining to cholesterol management. These issues include utilizing newer combination therapies and realizing the limitations of statins, improving compliance with cholesterol-lowering therapies, promoting a healthy lifestyle and diet, making treatment decisions based on patients' total CVD risk, fostering communication between primary and secondary providers, and soliciting governmental funding to implement disease management programmes.


CONCLUSIONS
By promptly and effectively addressing these cholesterol management issues, physicians and other healthcare professionals have an unprecedented opportunity to help reduce CVD in Europe to lessen the personal, social, and economic impact of this devastating disease.
Catapano
Alberico L
AL
Centre for the Study of Atherosclerosis, Marie Curie Training Centre for Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy. alberico.catapano@unimi.it
Pedersen
Terje R
TR
de Backer
Guy
G
D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D014943:Global Health; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000639:trends; D010819:Physician's Role; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000639:trends; D018570:Risk Assessment
D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D002784:Cholesterol