New Heart Disease Guideline Published

A new SIGN Guideline, SIGN 149: Risk estimation and the prevention of cardiovascular disease, was published on 26th July.

The guideline provides recommendations on estimation of cardiovascular risk and interventions to reduce this risk in people with and without established CVD. It covers:

• Adopting a Mediterranean diet, rich in extra virgin olive oil and/or unsalted nuts will reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events in people with or without previous CVD who are at high cardiovascular risk.
• New advice on drug treatments including statins
• The SIGN guideline points out that even low to moderate alcohol consumption may be hazardous
• The impact of some psychological factors on overall cardiovascular risk

The full PDF can be downloaded for the SIGN website. A patient booklet on the same subject will also be published later this year.