Over 50 percent of all deaths worldwide are from noncommunicable diseases. The results of the Global Burden of Disease Study dispel the notions that these noncommunicable diseases are related to affluence. In all developing regions, except for India and sub-Saharan Africa, noncommunicable diseases are responsible for more deaths than infectious diseases. Deaths from noncommunicable diseases have been projected to climb from 28.1 million deaths in 1990 to 49.7 million in 2020, increasing as a proportion of all deaths from 55 percent in 1990 to 73 percent in 2020.

This volume provides comprehensive data and detailed discussions of the epidemiologies of all major cancers and cardiovascular conditions, as well as those of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, ulcers, diabetes, nephritis, cirrhosis, and appendicitis.