Rehabilitation after cardiovascular diseases, with special emphasis on developing countries : report of a WHO Expert Committee

Cardiovascular diseases constitute the leading cause of morbidity and premature mortality in industrialized parts of the world and now pose a growing public health problem in developing countries.

Where rehabilitation and secondary prevention were once seen as valuable only to patients recovering from acute myocardial infarction, they are now regarded as essential to all cardiac patients.

This report contains the conclusions and recommendations of a WHO Expert Committee convened to review the current status of rehabilitative care, to consider its value to both adult and paediatric patients and the implications for health service costs.