Editorials
Use of the Coronary Artery Calcium Score in Discussion of Initiation of Statin Therapy in Primary Prevention
Clinical guidelines for instituting pharmacotherapy for the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), specifically lipid management and aspirin, have long been based on absolute risk. However, lipid management in the current era remains challenging to both patients and clinicians in the setting of somewhat discordant recommendations from various organizations. All guidelines endorse the use of statins for primary prevention for those at sufficient absolute risk, and treatment recommendations are generally “risk-based” rather than exclusively targeting specific low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.Exercise-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation and Improvements in Cardiorespiratory Fitness: Implications Regarding Patient Benefit
The cost of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is expected to triple in the next 20 years,1 highlighting the need for low-cost preventive therapies to achieve improved cardiovascular health outcomes and patient value.2 For literally millions of previously affected adults in the United States, interventions that have been shown to reduce the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events, collectively referred to as secondary prevention (Figure 1),3 may include exercise training (ET)–based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs.
