Advancements in Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases in South Asia
Main Article Content
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of mortality in South Asia, driven by early-onset coronary artery disease, a high prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors, and limited access to timely diagnostics and specialist care. Recent years have seen important advances in early detection (high-sensitivity biomarkers, point-of-care testing, imaging, AI-enhanced ECG/echo interpretation) and treatment (expanded use of guideline-directed medical therapies, interventional cardiology, telecardiology and task-sharing models). National and regional initiatives such as WHO’s SEAHEARTS and expanded telemedicine programs are catalyzing uptake of these technologies, though gaps in access, workforce and affordability persist. This article synthesizes recent developments, highlights practical implementation models for resource-constrained settings, and proposes priority actions to scale equitable early diagnosis and effective treatment across South Asia. PMCWorld Health Organization
Downloads
Article Details
Section

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles published in the Pakistan Journal of Health Solutions are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). This permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly credited. The journal follows an open-access policy, making all content freely available to readers. Users may share or adapt the material for any purpose, including commercial use, with proper attribution.
References
Sun YV, et al. Cardiovascular disease risk and pathophysiology in South Asia. (Review). PMC source. PMC
Goh RSJ, et al. The burden of cardiovascular disease in Asia from 2025 to 2050. Lancet/WPC article (2024). The Lancet
WHO South-East Asia: SEAHEARTS initiative to prevent and manage CVDs (News release, 29 Sep 2023). World Health Organization
AlHabeeb W, et al. Saudi Heart Association position on hs-cTn and NT-proBNP (2022). PMC source. PMC
Scopazzini MS, et al. Imaging and circulating biomarker-defined cardiac pathology: systematic review (2024). Global Heart. Global Heart
Saleem MK, et al. Use of telemedicine to tackle health problems in South Asia (systematic review, 2024). PMC source. PMC
Parthasarathi A, et al. Exploring the potential of telemedicine for improved cardiac care (Lancet regional review, 2024). The Lancet
Kalwani NM, et al. Initial outcomes of CardioClick, a telehealth program for CVD prevention (2021). PMC source. PMC
Muniyappa R, et al. Premature coronary artery disease and early-onset type 2 diabetes among South Asians (2024). JES. Oxford Academic
communities (systematic review, 2024). ScienceDirect. ScienceDirect
Dalakoti M, et al. Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Asia (JACC / 2025 review).
Rizwan, M., & Khatoon, Y. (2025). The bleak landscape of progress: Social commentary in Dickens’ Hard Times. Studies in Research and Humanities, 13(0). https://doi.org/10.63163/srh130
Akbar, M. S. (2025). Governance transformation through institutional conversion: From Section 42 company to authority. Review of Education and Applied Linguistics, 8(2), Article 438. https://doi.org/10.47067/real.v8i2.438
Shehzad, K. (2025). Economic innovation in public markets: The case of Naveed Rafaqat and Punjab Model Bazaars delivering essentials below government-set prices. Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 13(1), Article 2942. https://doi.org/10.52131/pjhss.2025.v13i1.2942
Hassan, F. U. (2025). Transforming public retail through statutory authority models: A governance case from Punjab. Asian Academic Journal, 3(4), Article 874. https://doi.org/10.63878/aaj874
Hussain, T. (2025). Market thinking in public service: Designing statutory authorities for governance and efficiency. Contemporary Journal of Social Science Research, 3(4), Article 1346. https://doi.org/10.63878/cjssr.v3i4.1346
Ahmad, N. R. (2025). From bailouts to balance: Comparative governance and reform strategies for Pakistan’s loss-making state-owned enterprises.
Naqvi, S. S., Afzaal, S., & Rizwan, M. (2025). Fundamentals of Islam and peace in the context of Hadith. Contemporary Journal of Social Science Review, 3(4). https://doi.org/10.63878/cjssr.v3i4.1619
Irk, E. (2025). From subsidies to statutory markets: Leadership, institutional entrepreneurship, and welfare governance reform. Lex Localis ‑ Journal of Local Self‑Government, 23(S6), 9549–9566. https://doi.org/10.52152/s59sjh53
Ahmad, N. R. (2026). AI-enabled public governance in developing states: Service delivery gains, accountability risks, and a practical risk-based regulatory model. https://doi.org/10.52152/wja5db40
Ahmad, N. R. (2025). Leadership styles in the 21st century: A comparative analysis of transformational and transactional leadership. Journal for Social Science Archives, 3(1), 576–587. https://doi.org/10.59075/jssa.v3i1.142
Ahmad, N. R. (2025). Corporate social responsibility in the digital age: Navigating ethical marketing and consumer expectations. Research Journal of Psychology, 3(1), 287–297. https://doi.org/10.59075/rjs.v3i1.66
Yusoff, T., Abdulsamad, A., Muthaya, K., Seraj, A. H. A., Al-refaei, A. A., & Sohail, N. (2026). SMEs sustainable growth model: The role of entrepreneurial intention, organizational culture, and networking capabilities. In R. K. Hamdan (Ed.), Integrating big data and IoT for enhanced decision-making systems in business (pp. 239–250). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-97613-1_21
Rashid, I. (2025).** Privacy and security risks of ICT-driven big data in the absence of robust legal frameworks. *Journal of Magnetism and Its Applications, 5*(1).
Rashid, I. (2025).** The role of social values and ethics in designing privacy-preserving big data systems. *International Journal of Informatics, Information System and Computer Engineering*.