Promoting Global Cardiovascular Health

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related chronic diseases are now recognized as the leading causes of death worldwide, with >80% of all CVD-related deaths now occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).1 Cardiovascular disease risk factors have also increased globally. In addition to the disease burden, global CVD imposes a substantial economic burden on LMICs at both population and household levels. The accelerating rates of unrecognized and inadequately addressed CVD and related chronic diseases in LMICs are cause for immediate action. Despite several recent calls for action to translate epidemiological data into strategies and policy frameworks, a profound mismatch remains between the compelling evidence documenting the health and economic burden of CVD and the lack of concrete steps to increase investment and implement CVD prevention and disease management efforts in LMICs. To catalyze the action needed to control global CVD, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has produced a report titled Promoting Cardiovascular Health in the Developing World (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12815).2 The IOM committee was charged with evaluating the available evidence to offer conclusions and recommendations to reduce the global burden of CVD, with an emphasis on developing guidance for partnerships and collaborations among a range of public- and private-sector entities involved with global health and development. The recommendations of the report include a set of specific actions targeted to specific stakeholders, which are intended to encourage a sufficient shift in the global health and development agenda to facilitate critical next steps that will build toward the eventual goal of widespread dissemination and implementation of evidence-based programs, policies, and other tools to address CVD and related chronic diseases in LMICs. This article presents the recommendations of the IOM report with a condensed version of the committee's commentary describing the rationale and implementation of the recommendations. In this summary, the recommendations are …