Cardiologists Need To Pay More Attention To Smoking.

In ttis week's Lancet two editorials describe the findings of several European studies showing that far too many individuals with heart diseases still smoke without being warned to stop by their physicians, whether cardiologists or primary care physicians. The physicians were more concerned with lipids or, hypertension than behaviors such as smoking or obesity [Volume 373, Issue 9667, 14 March 2009-20, Page 867], Further The results from the EUROASPIRE study give three messages. First, helping patients with coronary heart disease achieve a healthy lifestyle should be mandatory and have high priority for doctors and health authorities. Second, therapeutic targets in guidelines need to be continually discussed. Blood pressure and lipid targets that are too ambitious might take focus away from important lifestyle issues. Finally, secondary risk prevention is not enough. Political action is needed to reverse the negative trends of obesity and sedentary habits, ranging from fighting against the fast food and sugar industries to safe bicycle paths and healthy school meals