Projected Burden of Chronic, Noncommunicable Diseases in Jordan

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a global challenge. During the next several decades, NCDs will govern the health care needs of populations in most lowand middle-income countries because of declines in communicable diseases, conditions related to childbirth and nutrition, changes in lifestyle factors (eg, smoking), and population aging (1). We examined the burden of NCDs in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. We computed the projected prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and high blood cholesterol. All of these risk factors are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) — the leading cause of death in Jordan — and increased health care use.