Atherosclerosis is still the leading cause of death in North America in both sexes. The management of acute myocardial infarction is now a medical emergency and mortality has been reduced dramatically. The management of risk factors in patients with established heart disease has undergone extensive changes over the last decade and is evolving. Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory process related to damage of the endothelium. This process is multifactorial and complex; therefore the solutions will be numerous. Treating patients is no longer simple. The combination of smoking cessation, lifestyle changes and appropriate use of pharmacological agents has an extremely important role and will prevent over 50% of future cardiac events.
Authors
Curnew GP
Journal
Mature Medicine Canada, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 189–193