Table 1.

The epidemiological health transition stages and their characteristics.

Stage	Circumstance	Environmental factors and related CVD risk factors	CVD events
1	Living in rural area	Infections and nutritional deficiencies	Rheumatic heart disease and cardiomyopathy
2	Early urbanization	Reduced infection and improved nutrition, psychosocial stress, and hypertension	Heart failure and hemorrhagic stroke
3	More advanced urbanization	Lifestyle changes: increased fat intake, cigarette smoking, and inactivity	Atherosclerotic CVD and ischemic stroke at young age
4	Established urbanization	Improved health care and CVD prevention	CVD and stroke in the elderly

CVD: cardiovascular disease.