Exercise-based rehabilitation for coronary heart disease

The burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) world-wide is one of great concern to patients and health care agencies alike. Circulatory diseases, including myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke, kill more people than any other disease. This accounts for 15 million deaths, 30% of the annual total, every year. (WHO 1997). In the USA more than 13.5 million Americans have a history of MI, or experience angina pectoris (Wenger 1995). In Australia in 1994, cardiovascular disease (the largest component of which is coronary heart disease (CHD)), was certified as the primary cause in 43.33% of all deaths in Australia (Goble & Worcester 99). Eastern Europe is now experiencing an increasing number of deaths from CVD, across all socio-economic groups, death rates exceeding those in Western Europe, the USA, Australia and New Zealand (WHO 1994). Asia too is suffering an increasing prevalence of CVD, particularly among the growing professional, managerial, business and factory supervising groups (Janus 1996)