Patient Versions of ESC Guidelines

Mental Health and CVD

This guide is based on the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Clinical Consensus Statement on Mental Health and Cardiovascular Disease and is designed for patients and their families. It aims to help those affected by cardiovascular disease and/or mental health disorders.

There is good evidence that CVD can lead to mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety or stress, and vice versa. CVD and mental health conditions are often accompanied by feelings such as helplessness, fear and anger, and you may have worries about what the future holds for you and your family. 

This guide will show you:

• The links between CVD and mental health
• The importance of this link for good health
• That effective treatment is possible for both conditions, singly or combined

Myocarditis and Pericarditis 

This document explains the 2025 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of myocarditis and pericarditis for patients, families and carers.

This easy-to-understand document covers causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and ways to cope and recover. It also includes tips for daily life, special situations (like sports and pregnancy) and what to discuss with your doctor. 

Elevated blood pressure and hypertension

This guide is designed for patients and their families. It is based on the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of elevated blood pressure and hypertension. The document provides important information to help keep your BP under control. It aims to help you understand your condition and give you confidence to work with your healthcare team to make informed decisions about BP management, treatment and health.

This document is not intended as a guide on how the heart works, nor can it be exhaustive. If you want to know more about any of the topics in this document, there are links to the appropriate sections in the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of elevated blood pressure and hypertension. People seeking more general information about cardiovascular disease prevention should visit the Healthy Heart website.

Translations:  Spanish

Atrial Fibrillation

This document is for patients with atrial fibrillation, their families and caregivers. It provides a summary of the key parts of the guidelines. It has been developed so that patients can take an active part in the care they receive for their AF and understand why they are receiving a range of different treatments. We hope it will give
you knowledge and confidence when discussing different treatment options and when to seek review or advice. Contributing to your own health care and managing risk factors is key to avoiding complications that may arise from AF.

This document is not intended as a guide on how the heart works, nor can it be exhaustive. If you want to know more about any of the topics in this document, there are links to the appropriate sections in the ESC Guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation.  People seeking more general information about atrial fibrillation should visit the www.afibmatters.org website. 

Translations:  French  |  German  |  Italian  |  Polish  |  Portuguese  |  Spanish

Diabetes

Patients with diabetes are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and having cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, than patients without diabetes.

This guide provides an overview of the latest evidence-based recommendations related to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In particular, it should help you to understand:

• The different diseases that increase the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes
• The treatments that are recommended to reduce cardiovascular risk
• The lifestyle modifications that can help reduce cardiovascular risk

This document is not intended as a guide on how the heart works, nor can it be exhaustive. If you want to know more about any of the topics in this document, there are links to the appropriate sections in the ESC Guidelines for the management of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes. People seeking more general information about cardiovascular disease prevention should visit the Healthy Heart website.

Translations:  Spanish

Cardio-oncology

Some cancer treatments may harm the heart and circulation. This document provides an overview of the latest recommendations on how these side effects can be prevented, diagnosed and treated. It should help patients to understand the importance of:

• Being treated by a multidisciplinary cardio-oncology team, which means having a
  team of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals involved in your care
• Looking after your heart health, during and after cancer treatment
• Paying particular attention to your heart health if you have previously had a heart attack, a stroke, an arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) or you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes
• Making appropriate healthy lifestyle choices

This document is not intended as a guide on how the heart works, nor can it be exhaustive. If you want to know more about any of the topics in this document, there are links to the appropriate sections in the ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines on Cardio-oncology.

Translations:  Hebrew  |  Spanish

Chronic and acute heart failure (Updated 2023)

This guide for patients aims to provide an overview of the latest evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure. In particular, it should help patients to understand the:

• main types of heart failure
• medicines they may be offered
• devices that might be considered appropriate
• importance of being treated by a multidisciplinary team
• importance of rehabilitation
• importance of looking after themselves and managing their condition

This document is not intended as a guide on how the heart works, nor can it be exhaustive. The topics included in this document have links that will direct the interested reader to the appropriate sections in the 2021 Guidelines.

People seeking more general information about heart failure should visit the Heart Failure Matters website.

Translations:  Arabic  |  Dutch  |  Estonian  |  French  |  German  |  Greek  |  Hungarian  |  Lithuanian  |  Portuguese  |  Russian  |  Spanish

Cardiovascular disease prevention

This guide for patients aims to provide you with an overview of the latest evidence-based recommendations for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. In particular, it should help you to understand:

• how cardiovascular disease risk is assessed
• the importance of lifestyle modifications for the prevention of cardiovascular disease
• treatments and treatment goals that may be considered appropriate based on your risk profile 

This document is not intended as a guide on how the heart works, nor can it be exhaustive. 

People seeking more general information about cardiovascular disease prevention should visit the Healthy Heart website.

Translations:  Czech  |  Spanish

Pulmonary hypertension

The European Lung Foundation (ELF) has developed a patient version of the joint European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and European Respiratory Society (ERS) clinical guidelines for pulmonary hypertension (PH). This document summarises the key points from the clinical guidelines and explains what PH is and recommendations to diagnose and treat it. The document can be found on the ELF website.