Heart of the Nation 2.0

Cardiovascular diseases, particularly coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke, remain the leading cause of premature death in Russia and around the world. There are numerous risk factors that cause these diseases. Some of them, such as genetic predisposition and age-related changes, are beyond our control. However, other factors, including an unhealthy lifestyle, smoking, and high levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol, are preventable (modifiable) and can be corrected. The new federal project ‘Combating Cardiovascular Diseases’, which is part of the national project ‘Long and Active Life’, is expected to become the primary driver in achieving the national goal of increasing life expectancy. One of the most successful and rapidly developing measures of the federal project is the drug provision programme, which has saved tens of thousands of lives since its launch and proven to be highly effective. The programme provides patients who have had a heart attack, stroke, or heart surgery with free medication for two years. In practice, though, a high proportion of patients voluntarily discontinue therapy at the first signs of clinical improvement, which increases the risk of recurrent heart attacks and early disability. Current practices require both measures to improve patient adherence as well as expanded monitoring of modifiable risk factors, among which dyslipidaemia ranks first. How can we improve the early diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in patients? What strategies and approaches are needed to enhance the effectiveness of the new cardiovascular disease prevention programme? What factors influence patient compliance? What initiatives are needed to achieve a major reduction in cardiovascular mortality?