OPTIMAL MEDICAL TREATMENT: FOR REDUCTION OF EVENTS AND NEW OPTIONS

Drug therapy aimed at the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD) or chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) is the most important step to be taken after establishing the diagnosis.It is the only therapy aimed at the disease itself and not just the lesions in isolation. The core of therapy, consisting of aspirin (ASA), statins, beta-blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, has been consolidated over the last 40 years and is associated with a relative risk reduction of about 70% compared to the complete absence of treatment. Prevention of cardiovascular events targets acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and CAD-as-sociated death and focuses primarily on reducing the incidence of acute thrombotic events and the development of ventricular dysfunction. More recently, the concept of residual risk emerged, with therapies that can potentially reduce additional risk to the established the-rapy. Efforts directed at this residual cardiovascular risk focus on addressing inadequately reduced LDL cholesterol, systemic inflammation, high lipoprotein (a), hypertriglyceridemia, increased thrombotic risk, and other mechanisms.