Residual cardiovascular risk is the possibility of suffering a second cardiovascular event, stroke or myocardial infarction despite the fact that the patient complies with the treatment prescribed by their doctor and controls risk factors such as cholesterol, hypertension, obesity, etc.
In general, cardiovascular events do not warn and the patient does not have previous symptoms. Taking the medication that the doctor prescribes is critical to avoid a recurrence of events in the future, however, current drug treatments do not cover all causes of atherosclerotic disease and therefore do not completely eliminate the risk.
In the vast majority of cases, the risk factors for these diseases come from the patient's lifestyle. Therefore, with good health education, many cases can be prevented. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in Spain, above cancer. For this reason, prevention is one of the key measures to avoid them.
However, the risk that remains in a patient despite being correctly treated and having achieved the defined therapeutic objectives, which have been described as residual cardiovascular risk, is not so well known. The approach to cardiovascular diseases must be comprehensive and is only effective and sustainable if, in addition to promoting healthy lifestyle habits, joint efforts are made to improve healthcare processes and pharmaceutical innovation is incorporated, which has shown in clinical trials to reduce cardiovascular events (such as heart attack, angina pectoris or stroke), and consequently, the reduction of cardiovascular mortality and the improvement and/or regression of the inflammation of the atherosclerotic plaque.
Prevention, research and medical follow-up are the keys to reduce and control residual cardiovascular risk, causing less mortality, less health spending and more life expectancy. According to studies*, one in six patients will suffer a new myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke or cardiovascular death within the first year of the event.
Likewise, one in five patients will suffer a new myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke or cardiovascular death during the following three years. The essential thing is to prevent it through medical controls such as hypertension control and through blood tests where the main causative factors are identified, that is, high blood glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol.
Good information and quality health education, healthy habits, as well as prevention through pharmacological treatments, are the fundamental pillars to combat this silent pandemic. All those involved in the care process, from patients, doctors, nursing staff, clinical laboratories, health administration and the pharmaceutical industry have a responsibility and a duty. We are about to prevent a barrage of cardiovascular events.
*Jernberg T, et al. Eur Heart J 2015;36:1163-1170
