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Despite the established role of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the persistence of CVD as the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, national quality assurance metrics no longer include LDL-C measurement as a required performance metric. This clinical perspective reviews the history of LDL-C as a quality and performance metric and the events that led to its replacement. It also presents patient, healthcare provider, and health system rationales for re-establishing LDL-C measurement as a performance measure to improve cholesterol control in high-risk groups and to stem the rising tide of CVD morbidity and mortality, cardiovascular care disparities, and related healthcare costs., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Salim S. Virani reports a relationship with Department of Veterans Affairs, National Institutes of Health, World Heart Federation, Tahir and Jooma Family that includes: funding grants. Salim S. Virani reports a relationship with American College of Cardiology in his role as associate editor for innovations, acc.org that includes honorarium. Karen Aspry reports a relationship with Amgen, Esperion, Novartis, Ionis that includes: funding grants. Karen Aspry reports a relationship with National Lipid Association that includes: speaking and lecture fees. Dave L. Dixon reports a relationship with Boehringer Ingelheim Corp USA that includes: funding grants. Keith C. Ferdinand reports a relationship with Amgen, Novartis that includes: consulting or advisory. Elizabeth J. Jackson reports a relationship with Regeneron, Novartis that includes: consulting or advisory. Elizabeth J. Jackson reports a relationship with Esperion Therapeutics Inc that includes: consulting or advisory and speaking and lecture fees. Terry A. Jacobson reports a relationship with Astra Zeneca, Esperion, Novartis, Amgen, Regeneron that includes: consulting or advisory. Janice L. McAlister reports a relationship with Amgen Inc that includes: consulting or advisory and speaking and lecture fees. Janice L. McAlister reports a relationship with Esperion Therapeutics Inc that includes: speaking and lecture fees. Martha Gulati reports a relationship with Siemans that includes: speaking and lecture fees. Martha Gulati reports a relationship with Novartis, Bayer that includes: consulting or advisory. Christie M. Ballantyne reports a relationship with Abbott Diagnostic, Amgen, Arrowhead, Esperion, Merck, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Regeneron, Roche Diagnostic that includes: consulting or advisory and funding grants. Christie M. Ballantyne reports a relationship with Akcea, Ionis that includes: funding grants. Christie M. Ballantyne reports a relationship with 89Bio, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Althera, Amarin, Astra Zeneca, Denka Seiken, Genentech, Gilead, Illumina, Matinas BioPharma Inc, New Amsterdam, Pfizer that includes: consulting or advisory., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Remarkable transformations in science and healthcare have resulted in declines in mortality from cardiovascular disease over the past several decades, largely driven by progress in prevention and treatment of persons at risk. However, these trends are now beginning to stall, as our county faces increases in cardiovascular risk factors including overweight and obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, poor long-term adherence to a healthy lifestyle and lifesaving pharmacotherapy have exacerbated these trends, with recent data suggesting unprecedented increases in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. A paradigm shift is needed to improve the cardiovascular health of our nation. Preventive cardiology, a growing subspecialty of cardiovascular medicine, is the practice of primordial, primary, and secondary prevention of all cardiovascular diseases. Preventive cardiologists and preventive cardiology specialists are well equipped with the knowledge and skill-set necessary to reduce deaths related to the growing burden of heart disease and its risk factors. Despite dedicated efforts, cardiovascular disease remains the leading killer of men and women in the United States. Although there is little debate regarding the importance of prevention, many healthcare professionals question the need for preventive cardiology as a distinct subspecialty. Additionally, the field's growth has been hampered by a lack of organization and standardization, and variability of training within programs across the country. The purpose of this document is to delineate the key attributes that define the field of preventive cardiology according to the American Society for Preventive Cardiology., Competing Interests: Seth Baum: Serves on the advisory board for, provides consulting, and performs clinical research for Amgen, Sanofi/Regeneron, Esperion, Akcea, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim/Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Gemphire. He is a speaker for Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim/Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Aralez, and serves as president of Excel Medical Clinical Trials, LLC and Preventive Cardiology, Inc. Keith Ferdinand: Consultant for Amgen, Novartis, Medtronic, and Pfizer. Michael Shapiro: Serves on the advisory board for Amgen, Novartis, and Novo Nordisk. He is a consultant for Regeneron. Peter Toth: Speaker for Amarin, Amgen, Esperion, and Novo Nordisk. He is a consultant for Amarin, Merck, Novartis, and Resverlogix. The rest of the authors do not report any disclosures or competing interests., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Despite numerous advances in all areas of cardiovascular care, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States (US). There is compelling evidence that interventions to improve diet are effective in cardiovascular disease prevention. This clinical practice statement emphasizes the importance of evidence-based dietary patterns in the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), and ASCVD risk factors, including hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. A diet consisting predominantly of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, plant protein and fatty fish is optimal for the prevention of ASCVD. Consuming more of these foods, while reducing consumption of foods with saturated fat, dietary cholesterol, salt, refined grain, and ultra-processed food intake are the common components of a healthful dietary pattern. Dietary recommendations for special populations including pediatrics, older persons, and nutrition and social determinants of health for ASCVD prevention are discussed., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

In 2020, COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the US, with increased hospitalizations and mortality linked to factors such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, higher social vulnerability, and lower socioeconomic status. These multiple factors contribute to inequities in COVID-19 outcomes, including among older persons, members of racial/ethnic populations, and persons experiencing homelessness. Perhaps the best pathway to overcome the distressing high degree of death and disability due to COVID-19 has shown to be immunization with widespread acceptance, uptake, and vaccine access. Especially in racial/ethnic communities, it is important to utilize trusted leaders to overcome common vaccine misconceptions and barriers. This commentary summarizes the keynote lecture given to the Cardiometabolic Health Congress (CMHC) addressing the intersection of social injustice, cardiovascular and cardiometabolic disparities, and increased COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in racial/ethnic populations in the US., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death for both women and men worldwide. In the United States (U.S.), there are significant disparities in cardiovascular risk factors and CVD outcomes among racial and ethnic minority populations, some of whom have the highest U.S. CVD incidence and mortality. Despite this, women and racial/ethnic minority populations remain underrepresented in cardiovascular clinical trials, relative to their disease burden and population percentage. The lack of diverse participants in trials is not only a moral and ethical issue, but a scientific concern, as it can limit application of future therapies. Providing comprehensive demographic data by sex and race/ethnicity and increasing representation of diverse participants into clinical trials are essential in assessing accurate drug response, safety and efficacy information. Additionally, diversifying investigators and clinical trial staff may assist with connecting to the language, customs, and beliefs of study populations and increase recruitment of participants from diverse backgrounds. In this review, a working group for the American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC) reviewed the literature regarding the inclusion of women and individuals of diverse backgrounds into cardiovascular clinical trials, focusing on prevention, and provided recommendations of best practices for improving enrollment to be more representative of the U.S. society into trials., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Given rapid advancements in medical science, it is often challenging for the busy clinician to remain up-to-date on the fundamental and multifaceted aspects of preventive cardiology and maintain awareness of the latest guidelines applicable to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. The "American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC) Top Ten CVD Risk Factors 2021 Update" is a summary document (updated yearly) regarding CVD risk factors. This "ASPC Top Ten CVD Risk Factors 2021 Update" summary document reflects the perspective of the section authors regarding ten things to know about ten sentinel CVD risk factors. It also includes quick access to sentinel references (applicable guidelines and select reviews) for each CVD risk factor section. The ten CVD risk factors include unhealthful nutrition, physical inactivity, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, high blood pressure, obesity, considerations of select populations (older age, race/ethnicity, and sex differences), thrombosis/smoking, kidney dysfunction and genetics/familial hypercholesterolemia. For the individual patient, other CVD risk factors may be relevant, beyond the CVD risk factors discussed here. However, it is the intent of the "ASPC Top Ten CVD Risk Factors 2021 Update" to provide a succinct overview of things to know about ten common CVD risk factors applicable to preventive cardiology., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Introduction: The pattern of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and diabetes driven hospitalizations in the United States (U.S.) is unclear. We attempted to identify the disparate outcome in race related ASCVD hospitalizations with comorbid diabetes., Methods: Adults aged ≥40 years old with ASCVD (acute coronary syndrome (ACS), coronary artery disease (CAD), stroke, or peripheral arterial disease (PAD)) as the first-listed diagnosis with comorbid diabetes as a secondary diagnosis were determined using the U.S. 2005-2015 National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample (NIS) data. The incidence of other modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking/substance abuse, obesity, and renal failure), in hospital procedures and outcomes was estimated. Complex samples multivariate regression was used to determine the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence Interval (CI) of risk associations and to determine patient comorbidity adjusted ASCVD related in-hospital mortality rate., Results: The rate of total ASCVD hospitalizations with comorbid diabetes adjusted to the U.S. census population increased by 5.7% for black men compared to 4% for black women. There was a higher odd of an ASCVD hospitalization if there was comorbid hypertension (Odds Ratio (OR 1.29; 95% CI 95% 1.28-1.31), dyslipidemia (OR 2.03; 95% CI 2.01-2.05), renal failure (OR 1.84; 95% CI 1.82-1.86), and smoking/substance use disorder (OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.29-1.33). White Women had the highest risk-adjusted incidence of ASCVD related in-hospital mortality (4.2%) relative to black women (3.9%), compared to white men (3.6%) and black men (3.5%) respectively., Conclusions: Despite improving treatment options for ASCVD in the diabetic population, blacks with diabetes continue to have a higher hospitalization burden with a concomitant disparity in comorbid presentation and outcome. Further evaluation is the need to understand these associations., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The global burden of hypertension (HTN) is immense and increasing. In fact, HTN is the leading risk factor for adverse cardiovascular disease outcomes. Due to the critical significance and increasing prevalence of the disease, several national and international societies have recently updated their guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of HTN. In consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic, this report provides clinicians with the best strategies to prevent HTN, manage the acute and long-term cardiac complications of HTN, and provide the best evidence-based care to patients in an ever-changing healthcare environment. The overarching goal of the various HTN guidelines is to provide easily accessible information to healthcare providers and public health officials, which is key for optimal clinical practice. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the ability to provide safe care to the most vulnerable hypertensive populations throughout the world. Therefore, this review compares the most recent guidelines of the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association and multiple U.S. societies, the 2018 European Society of Cardiology/European Society of Hypertension, the 2019 National Institute for Care and Health Excellence, and the 2020 International Society of Hypertension. While a partial emphasis is placed on the management of HTN in the midst of COVID-19, this review will summarize current concepts and emerging data from the listed HTN guidelines on the diagnosis, monitoring, management, and evidence-based treatments in adults., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V.)