Chronic diseases: the emerging pandemic.

According to the 2011 World Health Organization Global Status Report, of the 57 million annual global deaths – a staggering 36 million or over 63% are due to chronic diseases.1 Four noncommunicable diseases - namely cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases - emerge as the leading cause of mortality in the world, accounting respectively for 17, 7.6, 4.2, and 1.3 million deaths based on the latest available global epidemiology data. By 2020, global deaths due to chronic diseases are projected to worsen by at least 15 to 20%. It is estimated that the four major noncommunicable diseases will be responsible for 75% of worldwide deaths by 2030