"Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: Guidelines for Assessment and Management of Cardiovascular Risk" provides guidance on reducing disability and premature deaths from coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and peripheral vascular disease in people at high risk, who have not yet experienced a cardiovascular event. People with established cardiovascular disease are at very high risk of recurrent events and are not the subject of these guidelines - they have been addressed in the 2004 publication "Prevention of Recurrent Heart Attacks and Strokes in Low and Middle Income Populations: Evidence-based Recommendations for Policy Makers and Health Professionals" (ISBN 9241562587).The risk prediction charts that accompany these guidelines allow treatment to be targeted according to simple predictions of absolute cardiovascular risk. Recommendations are made for management of major cardiovascular risk factors through changes in lifestyle and prophylactic drug therapies. The guidelines provide a framework for the development of national guidance on prevention of cardiovascular disease that takes into account the particular political, economic, social and medical circumstances.This printed publication is accompanied by a CD-ROM (on the inside back cover), which contains the risk prediction charts for countries of the 14 World Health Organization (WHO) epidemiological subregions.