The primary focus of this book is to provide readers with a comprehensive, state-of-the-art overview of the recent advances in the understanding of cardiovascular risk, especially in selected, vulnerable patient populations. Chapters contained in this book are written by invited authors from all over the world, who are well-known experts and opinion leaders in their respective fields in the assessment and management of cardiovascular risk. In each chapter, emphasis has been placed on reviewing the current understanding of the patho-physiological mechanisms that affect cardiovascular risk, and on critical appraisal of the clinical evidence that guides clinical management of cardiovascular risk in these patients.