For many years, individual cardiovascular risk factors have been dealt with in isolation, often by specialists with an interest in one particular risk factor, for example hypertension or hypercholesterolaemia. There has recently been a move to emphasise the importance of reducing global cardiovascular risk, which requires clinicians to address any one of a number of different risk factors. The interplay between these various factors is important in our understanding of development of cardiovascular disease and, similarly, the synergistic effects of targeting different risk factors is important in risk reduction. This text provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of modern cardiovascular risk management. It belongs to the In Clinical Practice series, which incorporate multiple illustrations using novel and effective formats. Data are frequently presented as bullet point lists or tables so that the key information is clearly available. The emphasis is on overall cardiovascular risk reduction throughout, with integration of lifestyle and pharmacological interventions.