Angina is caused by CAD. Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries causes obstruction to blood flow and deprives the heart muscle of blood. Obstructive atherosclerotic CAD leads to stable or unstable angina, fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction, sudden death, heart failure, arrhyth¬mias, atrial fibrillation, and thromboembolism that may cause stroke. Approximately 15 million Americans have CAD; approximately 7 million have angina and 8 million have had a heart attack. The approximate economic cost of CAD and stroke in North America is approximately $350 billion, with about $120 billion just for CAD.
Although there has been a mild decrease in the incidence of CAD in North America during the past decade, the disease process and its complications are expected to increase because of an aging population. Unfortunately, in developing countries the prevalence of CAD and its complications have increased in the past decade, and worldwide it is estimated that by 2025 cardiovascular disease will reach epidemic proportions with approxi¬mately 24 million deaths annually worldwide.

TABLE 1 Approximate [Rounded] Population and Incidence of Common Diseases and Death in 2020

Population (Millions) Total deaths (Millions) CMPN Injury NonCMPN, non CVD All CVD IHD Stroke RHD Other CVD

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