Cardiovascular Diseases\' Is an Umbrella Term Representing

Cardiovascular diseases' is an umbrella term representing a number of disorders known to affect the heart and blood vessels. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of deaths attributable to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is higher than that attributable to any other disease. However, people who live in low-income nations are more prone to death from CVDs than those who live high-income nations.

People in Low-Income Countries More Likely to Die From Cardiovascular Diseases

As I have already noted in the introduction section, WHO (2011) has classified cardiovascular diseases as "the number one cause of death globally." It is however important to note that on an annual basis, most of those who succumb to CVDs come from low-income countries (WHO 2011). There are several reasons for this.

To begin with, according to a fact sheet availed by the WHO (2011), this trend can be attributed to the exposure people in low-income countries have to risk factors that bring about cardiovascular diseases. CVDs risk factors include but are not limited to use of tobacco, excessive alcohol intake etc. In most low-income countries, the culprit is usually poor nutrition as families in most cases cannot afford a decent meal due to economic constraints. Further, according to Reddy and Yusuf (1998), developing nations have in the recent past registered raising tobacco consumption in comparison to developed countries. The authors in this case note that according to a prediction by the WHO, the percentage of deaths attributable to tobacco use in a number of developing countries will by the year 2020 surpass the 12% mark. A significant portion of these deaths will be caused by cardiovascular diseases.

Next, the lack of equitable and effective health care services is yet another factor that informs the higher number of cardiovascular disease deaths in low-income countries. In most cases, the existing health care services are not well equipped to respond to cases of CVDs. According to WHO (2011), the situation in this case is aggravated by the lack of early detection services. It can also be noted that in most cases, primary care systems in developing countries tend to be poorly equipped and rather weak. Thus in such a case, responding to the emerging cardiovascular disease symptoms becomes a challenge.

Another reason why individuals in low income countries are more likely to die from CVDs has got to do with nutrition transition. As Reddy and Yusuf (1998) note, availability of affordable vegetable oils and fats across the globe has resulted into an increase in the consumption of fat among countries considered low-income. According to the authors, another factor which also continues to play a pivotal role in this trend is food production and marketing globalization which in turn brings about an increase in the consumption of foods rich in energy but having minimal dietary fiber.