According to a recent study by the Registrar General of India (RGI) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), about
25 percent of deaths in the age group of 25- 69 years occur because of heart diseases. In 2008, five out of the top ten causes for
mortality worldwide, other than injuries, were non-communicable diseases; this will go up to seven out of ten by the year 2030.
By then, about 76% of the deaths in the world will be due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) [1]. Cardiovascular diseases
(CVDs), also on the rise, comprise a major portion of non-communicable diseases. In 2010, of all projected worldwide deaths, 23
million are expected to be because of cardiovascular diseases. In fact, CVDs would be the single largest cause of death in the
world accounting for more than a third of all deaths [2].