Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death around the world, with an estimated 17.9 million lives each year, according to the WHO. The term cardiovascular diseases include different conditions related to the heart and blood vessels, such as heart attack and stroke. Different behavioural factors are risk factor for the development of these conditions. Among those are poor diet, physical inactivity and the use of tobacco and alcohol. Therefore, most people that smoke, are overweight or obese and have high blood pressure and blood lipids are at risk of developing serious health complications.

Pharmacists can play a key role in the screening and management of risk factors, providing useful advice on how to keep a healthier lifestyle and provide adequate medication management for patients undergoing chronic therapies. This can include specific tasks such as patient education and counselling, medication review or detection of risk factors through, for example, measurement of blood pressure or glycemia. Since pharmacy services are easily accessible and widely distributed in the community setting, a maximum benefit should be expected from interventions provided in this context.