Global Atlas on cardiovascular disease prevention and control

million people died from CVDs in 2008. More than 3 million of these deaths occurred before the age of 60 and could have largely been prevented. The percentage of premature deaths from CVDs ranges from 4% in high-income countries to 42% in low-income countries, leading to growing inequalities in the occurrence and outcome of CVDs between countries and populations.
As the magnitude of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) continue to accelerate globally, the pressing need for increased awareness and for stronger and more focused international and country responses is increasingly recognized. This atlas on cardiovascular disease prevention and control is part of the response to this need.
It documents the magnitude of the problem, using global cardiovascular mortality and morbidity data. It demonstrates the inequities in access to protection, exposure to risk, and access to care as the cause of major inequalities between countries and populations in the occurrence and outcome of CVDs. The report has graphs showing mortality rates of CVDs by age, by country/region, and is divided into three main sections:

• Section A: Cardiovascular diseases due to atherosclerosis
• Section B: Other cardiovascular diseases
• Section C: Prevention and control of CVDs: Policies, strategies and interventions.