•CVD (shown in grey) is the largest contributor to mortality worldwide

•Although it is not often recognized, the burden of CVD is high in low and middle income countries

•CVD is the cause of nearly 30% of all deaths in these regions

•This health burden is accompanied by an economic burden

•Costs to households of paying for chronic disease needs

•Lost productivity from disability due to CVD—this is particularly important because CVD affects individuals at younger ages in low and middle income countries

•The grey area in this figure shows the burden of cardiovascular disease relative to other causes of death.

•This is compared across high, middle, and low income countries, showing the 2004 rates and projections for 2015 and 2030.

•This projection predicts that if we stay on our current course, deaths due to CVD will increase in low and middle income countries even as other causes of death decline, such as infectious diseases (shown in the bottom in two shades of green).

•Therefore, the goal for controlling the global epidemic of cardiovascular disease is to do something BEFORE the rates rise as predicted – to reverse or at least slow the trend