Neglected tropical diseases as hidden causes of cardiovascular disease.

Editor's abstract:

An important component of the burden of cardiovascular disease in low- and middle-income countries may be attributed to the neglected tropical diseases.

There is a growing awareness of the importance of chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) in the world's low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Specifically with respect to neglected populations, an important component of cardiovascular disease may be attributable to neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and other infections of poverty.

We lack adequate data to determine the true extent of human cardiovascular disease that results from NTDs and other neglected infections of poverty.[..] There is an urgent need to understand the contribution of neglected diseases to heart disease in LMICs in order to design appropriate intervention strategies. [..] There also remains a dearth of adequate control tools, that is, new drugs or vaccines for the neglected causes of human cardiovascular disease in LMICs.