Epidemic of non-communicable disease and its control.

Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) principally includes four common diseases, viz. diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancers and chronic respiratory diseases, which caused 63% of global deaths in 2008.1 CVD alone accounts for nearly 30% of all deaths worldwide and 27% in low-income and middle-income countries. About 366 million people were reported to have diabetes in 2011 worldwide.2 In lowand middle-income countries, NCD is not only common but also kills people at younger age.1 Nepal is also facing the surging burden of NCD.3 In a study across Nepal, 36.5% of admitted patients suffered from NCD out of which 38% were having heart diseases followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (33%) and diabetes and cancer (29%).3 In a nation-wide population study of urban Nepal, the prevalence of diabetes was 14.6% and 19% among the people 20 years and above and 40 years and above respectively with accompanying hypertension in 22.7% in the later group.4