The Global Rise of Chronic Diseases: Why Broaden the Paradigm to Include Tick-borne Illness and Environmental Toxin Exposure?

7 The incidence of chronic diseases is rapidly increasing worldwide. It has been calculated that, in 2001, chronic diseases contributed to approximately 46% of the global burden of disease and 60% of the total reported deaths with that number expected to increase to 57% by 2020, when chronic diseases will account for almost 75% of all deaths worldwide [1,2]. The role of obesity, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, tobacco use, the harmful use of alcohol, as well as elevated blood pressure and blood glucose levels have all been validated as important variables in chronic disease [3]. These risk factors account, in part, for the top ten causes of disability and death worldwide, including non-communicable diseases (ischemic heart disease, strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia as well as communicable diseases including infections like tuberculosis [4].