ABSTRACT
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the cause of more than 30% of deaths, not only in the developed countries but the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that low-and middle-income countries are also disproportionately affected: 82% of CVD deaths take place in low-and middleincome countries and occur almost equally in men and women. From all indications, we are facing a global pandemic, and the WHO predicts that by 2030, almost 23.6 million people will die from CVDs. CVDs are projected to remain the single leading cause of death, and the largest increase in number of deaths is expected to occur in the South-East Asian Region.
