Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases While the burden of communicable diseases—especially HIV infection, tuberculosis, and malaria—still accounts for the majority of deaths in resourcepoor regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, close to 60% of all deaths worldwide in 2005 were due to chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Moreover, 80% of deaths attributable to NCDs occurred in low- and middle-income countries, where 85% of the global population lives. In 2005, million people in the world died of an NCD before their 60th birthday—a figure exceeding the total number of deaths due to AIDS, TB, and malaria combined. By 2020, NCDs will account for 80%. | Chapter 002. Global Issues in Medicine Part 9 Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases While the burden of communicable diseases especially HIV infection tuberculosis and malaria still accounts for the majority of deaths in resourcepoor regions such as sub-Saharan Africa close to 60 of all deaths worldwide in 2005 were due to chronic noncommunicable diseases NCDs . Moreover 80 of deaths attributable to NCDs occurred in low- and middle-income countries where 85 of the global population lives. In 2005 million people in the world died of an NCD before their 60th birthday a figure exceeding the total number of deaths due to AIDS TB and malaria combined. By 2020 NCDs will account for 80 of the GBD and for 7 of every 10 deaths in developing countries. The recent rise in resources for and attention to communicable diseases is both welcome and long overdue but developing countries are already carrying a double burden of communicable and noncommunicable diseases. Cardiovascular Disease Unlike TB HIV infection and malaria diseases caused by single pathogens that damage multiple organs cardiovascular diseases reflect injury to a single organ system downstream of a variety of insults. The burden of chronic cardiovascular disease in low-income countries represents one consequence of decades of health system neglect furthermore cardiovascular research and investment have long focused on the ischemic conditions that are increasingly common in high- and middle-income countries. Meanwhile despite awareness of its health impact during the early twentieth century cardiovascular damage in response to infection and malnutrition has fallen out of view until recently. The perception of cardiovascular diseases as a problem of elderly populations in middle- and high-income countries has contributed to their neglect by global health institutions. Even in Eastern Europe and Central Asia where the collapse of the Soviet Union was followed by a catastrophic surge in cardiovascular disease deaths .
