The new European guideline on cardiovascular disease prevention; how to make progress in general practice? Commentary on: Main messages for primary care from the 2016 European Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice

The new guideline on cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention, issued by the European Society of Cardiology was endorsed by 10 other societies, including Wonca Europe. It advices on how to reduce the cardiovascular (CV) risk in the population and attributes an important role to the general practitioner (GP). The GP is involved in treatment of the high-risk population as well as in public health measures to encourage a healthy lifestyle and CV risk factor reduction in the whole population. The new guideline gives room for a personalized approach and emphasizes that CV risk estimation and counselling need regular follow-up. We highlight the recommendations that most caught our eye and comment on the challenges for general practice.