The “know your numbers” program in Atahualpa — A pilot study aimed to reduce cardiovascular diseases and stroke burden in rural communities of developing countries

The burden of cardiovascular diseases and stroke is steadily increasing in many low- and middle-income countries, to the point that these conditions have been considered as the new epidemics of the developing world . The World Health Organization has set a global goal of reducing deaths from non-communicable diseases (including stroke and ischemic heart disease) by 25% by 2025 . It seems that people living in rural communities are most vulnerable to these “new epidemics”. There, a process of epidemiologic transition is aggravated by poor access to medical care and by income issues that preclude people to afford the costs related to treatment of chronic diseases, including diabetes mellitus and arterial hypertension, which are main cardiovascular risk factors. This scenario is even more complicated by the lack of knowledge on the steps that have to be followed when ischemic heart disease and stroke warning signs occur.
Source: International Journal of Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research