PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
June 2012
http://www.plosntds.org/article/browseIssue.action

Editorial
Neglected Tropical Diseases as Hidden Causes of Cardiovascular Disease
Yasmin Moolani, Gene Bukhman, Peter J. Hotez

Extract
An important component of the burden of cardiovascular disease in low- and middle-income countries may be attributed to the neglected tropical diseases.

There is a growing awareness of the importance of chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) in the world’s low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Beginning in the 1990s, Murray and Lopez predicted a doubling of death rates due to cardiovascular disease in developing countries by 2020 [1], while a substantial rise was also predicted by Leeder et al. [2]. Based on World Health Organization (WHO) predictions, 75% of the burden of cardiovascular disease is found in LMICs [3]. Alarming increases have also been noted for other CNCDs in LMICs including cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes [4]. In September 2011, a report by the World Economic Forum and the Harvard School of Public Health estimated the global economic burden of CNCDs over the next two decades to be US$47 trillion [5]. During this same month, the United Nations General Assembly held a high-level meeting to discuss prevention and control of CNCDs, including cardiovascular diseases, in LMICs [6]. These initiatives have focused on preventable risk factors attributable to lifestyle changes such as tobacco and alcohol use, prolonged unhealthy nutrition, and physical inactivity, which currently account for a high proportion of cardiovascular deaths in North America and Europe [4]–[6]…