Cardiovascular Disease

The burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the world is enormous and growing, and the majority of those affected are in developing countries (Beaglehole and Yach 2003; Mbewu 1998). In 2002 it was estimated that 29 percent of deaths worldwide (16.7 million deaths) were due to CVD and that 43 percent of global morbidity and mortality, measured in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), was caused by CVD (WHO 2002). Furthermore, 78 percent of global mortality and 86 percent of mortality and morbidity from CVD occurs in developing countries. By 2020 it is estimated that CVD will become the leading cause of the global health burden, accounting for 73 percent of total global mortality and 56 percent of total morbidity (Murray and Lopez 1996; Reddy and Yusuf 1998). Africa has not been spared this global tide of CVD. In most African countries CVD is now the second most common cause of death after infectious disease, accounting for 11 percent of total deaths (WHO 1999); and CVD is a major cause of chronic illness and disability. Projections from the Global Burden of Disease Project suggest that from 1990 to 2020, the burden of CVD faced by African countries will double. A large proportion of the victims of CVD will be middle-aged people. The poor will suffer disproportionately as a consequence of their higher disease risk and limited access to health care. The financial and social costs of this CVD epidemic are likely to have a negative impact on development and the alleviation of poverty (http://www.ichealth.org).