Table 1
Definition of Key Terms.
| Non-Communicable Diseases | A heterogenous group of medical conditions or diseases that are non-infectious and non-transmissible [7] |
| Cardiovascular Disease | A heterogenous group of diseases that affect the heart or blood vessels [8] |
| Diabetes Mellitus | A disease in which the body cannot 1) produce insulin or 2) use the produced insulin [9] |
| Ischemic Heart Disease | A condition caused by narrowed heart arteries, leading to a reduction in blood and oxygen supply to the cardiac muscles [10] |
| Hypertension | A condition in which the force of the blood against the walls of the blood vessels is consistently too high [11] |
| Cerebrovascular Disease | A heterogenous group of diseases that affects the blood vessels of the brain as well as blood supply to the brain [12] |
| Stroke | A disease affecting the arteries leading to and within the brain, in which a blood vessel is blocked by a clot or ruptures [13] |
| Binge Drinking | Heavy alcohol usage within a short period of time, leading to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08g or above [14] |
| Myocardial Infarction | Commonly known as a heart attack; Occurs when a portion of the heart is deprived of blood and oxygen [15] |
| Urbanization | The migration towards a Western environment, which increases the consumption of energy rich foods and decreases energy expenditure [16] |
Figure 1
The demographic composition of Guyana (A) The ethnic distribution in 2002 (B) The ethnic distribution in 2012 (C) The life expectancy of men and women from 2008–2017 (D) The age and sex distribution in 2012 [1, 3, 4, 17, 20, 21, 22].
Table 2
Mortality rates (age-adjusted rate/100,000) due to CVD, IHD and cerebrovascular disease of selected countries in the Americas [24].
| COUNTRY (YEAR)* | CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE | ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE | CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASE | RATIO OF IHD/CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASE DEATHS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region of the Americas (2007) | 167.9 | 71.7 | 37.3 | 1.9 |
| Guyana (2006) | 291.9 | 104.4 | 87.6 | 1.2 |
| Puerto Rico (2007) | 121.0 | 57.9 | 24.8 | 2.3 |
| Trinidad & Tobago (2007) | 288.5 | 128.5 | 77.8 | 1.6 |
| Cuba (2009) | 205.4 | 93.0 | 55.8 | 1.7 |
| Suriname (2007) | 215.3 | 62.9 | 99.4 | 0.6 |
| Venezuela | 246.1 | 123.8 | 64.1 | 2.0 |
[i] * Latest year available for each country
Figure 2
The primary causes of death in relation to sex in Guyana from 2002 to 2004 (A) Diabetes Mellitus (B) Ischemic and Other Heart Disease (C) Hypertension (D) Cerebrovascular Disease [5].
Figure 3
The leading causes of mortality in Guyana in 2009 (A) Among women and (B) Among men [17].
Figure 4
Incidence of hypertension in Guyana by age, 2001–2011 [19].
Figure 5
The age specific prevalence of chronic illnesses in Guyana in relation to ethnicity (A) Hypertension (B) Stroke (C) Heart Attack or Heart Problem (D) Diabetes Mellitus (E) High Cholesterol (F) Blood Circulation Problem/Hardening of Arteries [5].
Figure 6
Pathway for the development of cardiovascular disease in Guyana [31, 32].
Situated in the broader context of urbanization, the figure describes the broad social and individual-level contributors to the development of CVD in Guyana.
| Key Search Terms | Population, mortality, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obesity, overweight, diet, nutrition, physical activity, smoking, alcohol, ethnicity, race, health risks, risk factors, health, South Asian, Indian, African, Amerindians, mixed race, Portuguese, Chinese, Whites, Indo-Guyanese, Afro-Guyanese, Indigenous, heart disease, life expectancy, Guyana, non-communicable disease, prevalence, incidence, health outcomes, burden of disease, trends, morbidity, government statistics, screening programs, treatment programs, primary prevention, health promotion |
| Search Limiters | Country: Guyana Language: English Publication Date: last 18 years (2000–2018) |
| Databases | Scholars Portal Journals, PubMed and Google Scholar |
| Inclusion Criteria | (1) From 2000–2018 (2) Written in English (3) Abstracts that contain one or more of the key search terms identified (4) Specific to the Guyanese population |
| Exclusion Criteria | (1) Unpublished dissertations, editorials, book chapters or papers published before 2000 (2) Content redundant to another selected article |