Reducing the growing burden of cardiovascular disease in the developing world

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has become the number-one cause of death in the developing world. This epidemic has the potential to place a large social and economic burden on developing countries, where CVD tends to strike those in their prime working years. Since resources for managing CVD are limited, it is important that interventions be guided by cost-effectiveness results for low- and middle-income countries. Despite the burden, cost-effective strategies exist at the population and individual levels for reducing CVD. Integral to all personal intervention strategies is an adequate assessment of the underlying risk of disease.