[Statins in secondary prevention of coronary heart disease]

Cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of death in European and many other countries. During the last years, our understanding of the risk factors and the possibilities of an effective prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD) has substantially increased. Since patients with established CHD are at a very high risk for a further coronary event, secondary prevention plays a predominant role. Above all, the effectiveness of secondary prevention by lowering LDL cholesterol by statins has been impressively demonstrated by a number of controlled clinical trials. Various international task forces have published recommendations with regard to the cholesterol level indicating intervention and goals of treatment. With the currently available statins these goals can be reached in most cases. Diet is an integral part of overall management. It is important to target also for the intervention of the other risk factors (smoking, physical inactivity, hypertension, diabetes and overweight).