Cardiology in transition: Latvian experience

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is still a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Latvia has an ageing population, which is common in the European Union member states. This book provides an overview of cardiology development and growth during the last decades in Latvia. The main goals in the last twenty years have been the reduction of incidence of CVD and the reduction of cardiovascular mortality, improvement of quality of life, and increase the chances of a longer life expectancy. For this purpose, the authors tried to describe the implementation of modern cardiology in the health system in transition from the Soviet system to Latviäs healthcare system. The book provided insight into the harmonization of activities of the state, society (patients) and medical personnel. It shows the role of aggressive prevention and health promotion, modernization of infrastructure and management, implementation of evidence-based treatment. We believe we have made the next step in the direction of personalized precision medicine.