Cardiovascular disease mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean.

Is there a full-blown stroke epidemic and a growing ischemic heart disease (IHD) epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa? We aim to further understand the evolution of stroke and IHD in Sub-Saharan Africa with an analysis of the most recent Global Burden of Disease estimates of mortality for men of Sub-Saharan African descent in Africa and in the Caribbean and a review of recent studies found on PubMed and reference lists of published articles. Stroke is the most important cause of cardiovascular disease mortality in men aged 60-64 years in Africa and the Caribbean, but death rates and rank may vary by region. Ischemic heart disease is a leading cause in the Caribbean.