ObjectiveTo compare the recommended medicines of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases guidelines, expert consensus, or diagnosis and treatment specifications with essential medicines from the 2023 World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines (WHO-EML) and the 2018 National Essential Medicine List (NEML) in differences and similarities. MethodsSix guideline websites and one association website including Guidelines International Network and National Guideline Clearinghouse, etc. were searched until July 2023. The latest cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases guidelines, expert consensus, diagnosis and treatment specifications involving medicine treatment were included, and we extracted the data (year, title, target disease, authors and recommended medicines), and the statistical analysis of recommended medicines included in the WHO-EML and NEML was performed by Excel 2016. ResultsA total of 83 guidelines, expert consensus, and diagnosis and treatment specifications were included, covering cerebrovascular diseases, ischemic heart diseases, hypertensive diseases, chronic rheumatic heart diseases, diseases of arteries, arterioles and capillaries and other unspecified circulatory system disorders. They were issued from 2002 to 2023. 55 (66.3%) were published in the past 5 years. For the 246 recommended medicines, they were divided into 14 categories according to the pharmacological effect. 27.2% (67/246) were included in WHO-EML and 32.9% (81/246) were included in NEML, among which 41 medicines were included both in WHO-EML and NEML, 40 in NEML only, 26 in WHO-EML only, and 139 in neither. The number of excluded medicines in antihypertensive medicines, lipid-regulating medicines and antiatherosclerotic medicines and anticoagulants exceeded 10. ConclusionThe number of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease guidelines, expert consensus, and diagnosis and treatment specifications recommended for WHO-EML and NEML is lower than 50%, and the coverage rate of NEML for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease guidelines recommended treatment medicines is higher than that of WHO-EML.