Epidemiology and the Magnitude of Coronary Artery Disease and Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Narrative Review

Background: Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the foremost single cause of mortality and loss of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) globally. A large percentage of this burden is found in low and middle income countries. This accounts for nearly 7 million deaths and 129 million DALYs annually and is a huge global economic burden.

Objective: To review epidemiological data of coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndrome in low, middle and high income countries.

Methods: Keyword searches of Medline, ISI, IBSS and Google Scholar databases. Manual search of other relevant journals and reference lists of primary articles.

Results: Review of the results of studies reveals the absolute global and regional trends of the CAD and the importance and contribution of CAD for global health. Data demonstrates which region or countries have the highest and lowest age-standardized DALY rates and what factors might explain these patterns. Results also show differences among the determinants of CAD, government policies, clinical practice and public health measures across the various regions of world.

Conclusion: CAD mortality and prevalence vary among countries. Estimation of the true prevalence of CAD in the population is complex. A significant number of countries have not provided data, the estimation of the exact figures for epidemiological data is a barrier. The incidence of CAD continues to fall in developed countries over the last few decades and this may be due to both effective treatment of the acute phase and improved primary and secondary preventive measures. Developing countries show considerable variability in the incidence of CAD. The globalization of the Western diet and increased sedentary lifestyle will have a dramatic influence on the progressive increase in the incidence of CAD in these countries.