[Control and prevention of cardiovascular disease around the world].

The situation regarding cardiovascular disease in different parts of the world is presented, and the prevalence and trends in main risk factors based on Omran's epidemiological transition model are reported. A World Heart Federation survey documenting the limited human and technical resources in some developing countries and inadequate use of these resources in others is discussed. This survey also shows that few countries have guidelines for the management of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, and reveals a lack of relationship between the percentage of countries with guidelines and the importance of a given disease or risk factor. Because economic resources for health in highly populated developing countries are limited, preventive measures for cardiovascular disease and its risk factors must be combined with those for all other chronic diseases. We recommend the following actions: a). improve the use of facilities for the dissemination of information; b). create suitable conditions for the development of research in developing countries; c). incorporate into primary care the innovations proposed by the WHO in 2002 to control chronic diseases, and d). assist in the development of the program proposed by the World Heart Federation.