Disease Prevalence and Outcomes Differ by Income Worldwide

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally, except in high-income countries where, among adults aged 35 to 70 years, death from cancer is more common.

Disease prevalence and clinical outcomes are known to be associated with income. To examine this association further, investigators analyzed disease and income data on over 160,000 participants in the PURE study (NCT03225586), a prospective population-based cohort study of individuals (age range, 35–70) from 21 countries and five continents (see also NEJM JW Cardiol Sep 3 2019 and Lancet 2019 Sep 3; [e-pub]).

The authors examined the prevalence and related mortality of common diseases (cardiovascular diseases, cancers, injuries, and respiratory diseases) in countries stratified as high-income countries (HICs), middle-income countries (MICs), and low-income countries (LICs). Results during a median follow-up of 9.5 years were as follows:

7.0% …

Reviewing Author

Karol E. Watson, MD, PhD, FACC

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBoehringer Ingelheim; Amgen; Novartis; Lilly; Amarin

Speaker’s BureauBoehringer Ingelheim

Grant/Research SupportNIH

Editorial BoardsCirculation (Associate Editor)