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The year in cardiology—from prevention to intervention
Reviewing a year in cardiology, senior European Heart Journal (EHJ) editors looked at the major advances over the past 12 months in cardiology in a Centre Stage session entitled ‘Advances—Prevention to Intervention’.
Looking back at findings of studies in the period, the session was chaired by Patrick Serruys and EHJ Editor-in-Chief Tom Lüscher.
The presentations opened with Christopher Paul Cannon, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston, with a focus on lipids and a review of the areas of statins, ezetimibe, PCSK9, triglyceride, cholesterol variability, and familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) outcomes. He reflected on editorials looking at what happens when people stop taking statins and a focus on the anti-statin lobby. ‘Sadly, the consequences if you do stop are the events rate is much higher than if you continued on statin therapy’, said Prof. Cannon, who is also a senior physician in the Cardiovascular Division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. ‘It is important for us to shout out and reinforce the benefits of statins’. He drew attention to a European Atherosclerotic Society review panel on the risks and benefits of statins, showing that the benefits outweigh the risks.
