Digital interventions in the treatment of cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerotic vascular disease

Cardiovascular disease and its complications such as myocardial infarction in particular, but also cerebrovascular disease with resulting stroke or peripheral arterial disease with acute limb ischemia or amputation are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the high-income countries world-wide [1]. In Europe, cardiovascular disease causes almost 4 million deaths per year, which accounts for almost 50% of all deaths [2]. Importantly, 30–40% of all patients who die from cardiovascular disease are younger than 75 years. Primary and secondary prevention aims at the efficient treatment of the modifiable risk factors, i.e. hypercholesteremia, diabetes mellitus, obesity and the fully established metabolic syndrome, arterial hypertension and smoking. Besides drug and interventional treatment, a healthy diet and an active lifestyle with at least modest regular exercise help reduce or even avoid cardiovascular complications. (See Table 1).