Globally

	17 million people die each year from cardiovascular disease, with coronary heart disease in particular accounting for 7.3 million deaths in 1998. The World Health Organization estimates that the latter figure will rise to 11.1 million by the year 2020.
	What is even more alarming is that cardiovascular disease is increasingly affecting younger people of working and productive ages, especially in developing countries. In India for instance, 35% of all cardiovascular deaths between 2000 to 2003 occurred among those in the prime working age range of 35 to 64.

In the United States

	Coronary heart disease is the single biggest killer, and is responsible for one in every five deaths.
	Coronary heart disease is likewise the leading cause of death, with almost 2 million people dying from it each year. Of these victims, approximately one in five are women and one in seven are men.

In Europe

	Coronary heart disease is likewise the leading cause of death, with almost 2 million people dying from it each year. Of these victims, approximately one in five are women and one in seven are men
	Cardiovascular disease as a whole accounts for some 4 million deaths annually.

In Asia

	Almost 80% of global deaths related to cardiovascular disease now occur in Asia.
	Many countries in this region face an impending heart disease epidemic, with India and China being particularly vulnerable. According to the World Health Organization, 60% of the world’s cardiac patients will be from India by 2010. As for China, the death rate for coronary heart disease soared in urban areas by 53.4% in just eight years during the period 1988 to 1996.

In Singapore

	Heart disease is the second biggest killer next to cancer. Heart disease and stroke accounted for 26.3% and 9.2% respectively of all deaths in Singapore in 2001.
	Approximately 2,000 people have a heart attack every year. Of these, about 50% die because they do not receive medical help fast enough.
	The death rate for cardiovascular disease more than tripled between 1957 (7.7% of total deaths) and 2001 (26.3%).
	In a parallel development, there has been a sharp rise in the incidence of certain coronary risk factors amongst Singaporeans. For instance, the prevalence of diabetes in Singapore rose almost fourfold within two decades, from 2.5% in 1975 to 8.6% in 1992.
	Another worrying trend is the significant proportion of Singaporeans who have other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. According to the “State of Health 2001” report, 27.3% of Singaporeans are hypertensive; 58% are physically inactive during their leisure; and 24% are overweight, of whom about 6% are obese.

Fortunately, despite the stark picture presented by the above figures, the risk of cardiovascular disease can be greatly reduced through lifestyle changes coupled with medical treatment where necessary. For instance, recent research conducted at McMaster University in Canada suggests that as much as 80% of the risk may be attributable to factors which we can change such as smoking and high blood pressure. At the same time, advances in medicine are turning heart disease from what was once an almost inevitable death sentence to a manageable condition. Given these circumstances, cardiovascular education and prevention programmes are all the more vital as they can help significantly in reducing the incidence of cardiovascular-related death or disability.