I am trying to relax during my holidays in northwest Spain and for my amusement I read this article [Economist].

They show information from the World Health Organisation that shows that the biggest killer in the world (not just the developed world) are heart diseases. Cancer is responsible for a mere 15.7% of the world deaths.

This is interesting because, traditionally, heart diseases as a significant health problem, were thought to be the preserve of rich countries but nowadays affects most countries. It seems that as poorer countries improve their living standards (or at least that is what the article claims) more and more people are discovering the diseases that characterise the old age in the developed world. Unfortunately it seems that poor countries are less able to cope with people suffereing from these diseases than richer ones. These diseases also impose a great economic (as well as emotional) burden on the families of the affected.