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Life sciences · Journal article
European Heart Journal · August 30, 2026
Early or partial results. Treat as a signal, not a conclusion.
This cross-sectional study describes cardiovascular risk profiles, awareness, treatment use, and subclinical atherosclerosis in 1,366 healthcare professionals attending the ESC Congress 2025, compared with 2,732 age- and sex-matched general population controls. HCPs showed similar rates of unrecognised hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, and diabetes to controls, but paradoxically lower use of guideline-recommended antihypertensive and glucose-lowering therapy in primary prevention despite better achievement of some treatment targets; in secondary prevention, medication use was notably low. The findings describe practice gaps but do not test whether any intervention would improve outcomes.
Cross-sectional observational study with matched external comparator cohort. Healthcare professionals attending the ESC Congress 2025; external comparator: age- and sex-matched individuals from the general population (REACT initiative). Eligibility criteria not detailed.. Intervention: Standardised cardiovascular assessment including risk factor measurement, medication use documentation, and carotid ultrasonography in a subgroup; no intervention administered.. Compared with: Age- and sex-matched individuals from the general population (REACT initiative; n=2732). n = 1,366. ESC Congress 2025 (location not specified in abstract).
Excess body weight was most prevalent modifiable risk factor at 46.8%, followed by hypertension 23.2% and hyperlipidaemia 22.7% among HCPs Established ASCVD present in 11.1% of HCPs; subclinical atherosclerosis detected in 21.8% of HCPs without established ASCVD Unrecognised hyperlipidaemia similar in HCPs vs controls (7.5% vs 8.4%; P=0.293); unrecognised hypertension 11.9% vs 13.9% (P=0.079)
Safety was not reported in the material analysed. Check the source before drawing any conclusion about harm.
This study highlights significant gaps in cardiovascular preventive care and medication use among healthcare professionals despite their professional knowledge, particularly low use of guideline-recommended antihypertensive and glucose-lowering therapy in primary prevention and very low antiplatelet therapy use in secondary prevention. Clinicians should recognise that professional status does not guarantee adherence to evidence-based prevention guidelines and may consider targeted implementation strategies for HCP populations.
Single-centre, cross-sectional observational study without randomisation or control arm design; descriptive prevalence data with comparisons to a matched external cohort, not a causal or intervention study.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
This study highlights significant gaps in cardiovascular preventive care and medication use among healthcare professionals despite their professional knowledge, particularly low use of guideline-recommended antihypertensive and glucose-lowering therapy in primary prevention and very low antiplatelet therapy use in secondary prevention. Clinicians should recognise that professional status does not guarantee adherence to evidence-based prevention guidelines and may consider targeted implementation strategies for HCP populations.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Healthcare professionals (HCPs) play a central role in preventive care, yet their own cardiovascular health management remains poorly characterised. We evaluated cardiovascular risk profiles, awareness, treatment use, target achievement and subclinical atherosclerosis among HCPs attending the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress. METHODS: HCPs participating in the ESC Congress Cardiovascular Health Check 2025 (n=1366) underwent standardised assessment of cardiovascular risk factors, medication use, treatment targets, and carotid ultrasonography in a subgroup. HCPs without established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) were compared with age- and sex-matched individuals from the general population (REACT initiative; n=2732). RESULTS: Among HCPs, excess body weight was the most prevalent modifiable risk factor (46.8%), followed by hypertension (23.2%), and hyperlipidaemia (22.7%). Established ASCVD was present in 11.1% and subclinical atherosclerosis was detected in 21.8% of HCPs without established ASCVD. Compared with matched controls, unrecognised hyperlipidaemia (7.5% vs. 8.4%; P=0.293), hypertension (11.9% vs. 13.9%; P=0.079), and diabetes (0.4% vs. 0.4%; P=0.864) were similarly frequent; awareness was higher only for hyperlipidaemia (62.2% vs. 54.9%; P=0.049). In primary prevention, HCPs were less likely to use recommended antihypertensive (27.6% vs. 46.5%; P<0.001) and glucose-lowering therapy (60.0% vs. 85.0%; P=0.001), but more often achieved LDL-C (57.5% vs. 32.0%; P<0.001) and systolic blood pressure targets (47.5% vs. 24.6%; P=0.003). In secondary prevention, 41.4% of HCPs used lipid-lowering therapy, only 9.2% used antiplatelet therapy, and only 22.2% of those using lipid-lowering therapy achieved the LDL-C target. CONCLUSIONS: HCPs showed important gaps in cardiovascular prevention, particularly regarding the use of guideline-recommended therapy, highlighting the need for systematic implementation strategies among HCPs.Clinical Trial Registration: NCT07613229.
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