Hospital-based CV morbidity and mortality data may not be representative of overall CV disease burden. There are no structured data collection methods regarding the cardiac mortality and morbidity for Indian subcontinent, and also majority of deaths happen at home without knowing the exact cause of death. Indians are known to have the highest coronary artery disease (CAD) rates, and the conventional risk factors fail to explain this increased risk. 2 For us Indians, particular causes of concern in CVD are early age of onset, rapid progression and high mortality rate. CVDs strike Indians a decade earlier than the western population.

The results of Global Burden of Disease study state age-standardized CVD death rate of 200 population in India which is much higher than that of global average of 235.

1 In accordance with the World Health Organization, India accounts for one-fifth of these deaths worldwide especially in younger population. CVDs such as ischaemic heart disease and cerebrovascular such as stroke account for 17.7 million deaths and are the leading cause. The noncommunicable diseases commonly include cardiovascular disease (CVD), various cancers, chronic respiratory illnesses, diabetes, and so on which are estimated to account for around 60% of all deaths.

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