Top 4 Most Common Chronic Diseases in Africa You Should Know About

Often, we do our best to stay fit, eat healthy, be consistent with our doctor’s check ups and anything else within our power to stay healthy always.

Yet, things don’t always turn out as we want and we may fall ill here and there or even develop a chronic condition as a result.

Does this mean poor quality of life? Absolutely not!

In this article, we will take a deeper look at the state of chronic diseases in Africa. Why Africa? Because most African countries are at the ‘developing’ stage. This translates to development delays and low innovation take up due to low and middle income levels. This in turn affects the ability to deal with rising?health care conditions.

The question we will be answering is, ‘how are chronic diseases affecting Africans and to what extent?

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Chronic Diseases Impact Overview

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 15 million people aged 30-69 across the world die of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. This translates to approximately 41,000 people across the globe dying of these chronic diseases daily!

Ampath Kenya?estimates that deaths related to chronic diseases in sub-Saharan Africa and across the world will double by the year 2030.

Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for Africa states that,?“Africa is grappling with an increasingly hefty burden of chronic diseases whose severe forms are costing precious lives that could be saved with early diagnosis and care”.

Asthma, type 2 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and severe hypertension are reported as the most prevalent chronic conditions or?noncommunicable diseases in Africa.

Let’s have a look at each one of them.

Sickle Cell Disease

What is sickle cell disease? Here are quick facts;

• It is an inherited blood disorder
• It interferes with the life span of red blood cells hence causing anaemia
• It results to low blood oxygen levels and blockage of blood vessels
• People suffering from sickle cell may experience extreme pain in the chest, feet, back, and hands and contract severe bacterial infections

Sickle cell disease?is termed as the most severe in Africa.Let’s dig into the statistics.

Of the 120 million people?across the world affected by the sickle cell disease, 66% live in Africa.?An estimated 1000 children?born everyday in Africa have sickle cell disease (more than half of these children die before the age of 5). This is the most common genetically-inherited disease in Africa.?

In 2019, there were 38, 403 deaths associated with sickle cell disease; 26% more compared to the year 2000.

The question is,?‘ why is the burden of sickle cell disease so huge in Africa?’

According to a report?by WHO, low investment in combating this disease is the problem! For example, take a look at the public health facilities in Africa; they are not well equipped to prevent the disease, detect it early, or even provide high quality care to those suffering from it. Lack of key services as well as inadequate personnel is a pinch on the wound.

Diabetes

In Africa alone, there were 19 million people living with diabetes in 2019.?According to a report by WHO, this number is expected to rise to 47 million in 2045!

Diabetes quick facts (IDF Diabetes Atlas 10th Edition 2021);

• In 2021, there were?approximately 24 million?individuals aged 20-79 living with diabetes in the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Africa region. This number is estimated to rise to 33 million and 55 million by 2030 and 2045 respectively.
• There are 52 million adults aged 20-79 with Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) in the IDF Africa region, which is known to accelerate the rate of contracting type 2 diabetes. This number is estimated to increase to 117 million by 2045.
• 54% of adults?with diabetes in the IDF Africa region are undiagnosed –?approximately 13 million adults.
• 1% of total global expenditure?was spent on healthcare for people with diabetes – this is approximately USD 13 billion.
• In the year 2021, there were?416,000 deaths?associated with diabetes in the IDF Africa region.

Asthma

The number of?individuals living with Asthma in Africa?has been increasing over the years.

In 1990, around 11.7% (74 million) of the global population was living with asthma.

In 2010, this number rose to 119 million (12.8%). This number continues to increase every year.

There is limited research and data on asthma prevalence in Africa, however the increasing cases have been compounded over time by stigma and cultural myths common in sub-Saharan Africa.

Being a major noncommunicable disease (NCD), Asthma affects both adults and children.

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Severe Hypertension

Hypertension can simply be defined as a condition when the blood pressure is too high – commonly referred to as high blood pressure.

Two-thirds of 1.28 billion adults (30-79 years) with hypertension, live in low-income to middle-income countries (mostly in Africa)

High blood pressure is known to cause premature deaths across the world. Unbelievably,?46%?of the adults living with high blood pressure are not aware they have it!

So, what is being done to alleviate this situation in Africa?

By the year 2030, the following?3 goals?are set to improve the hypertension situation in Africa;

• To have diagnosed 80% of all adults in Africa
• To have treated 64% of those diagnosed with hypertension
• To have controlled hypertension in 80% of those treated of hypertension

To achieve this,?the World Hypertension League, is focused on improving diagnosis, detection, control and management of high blood pressure in Africa.

What’s Next?

From the statistics above, it is clear that the state of chronic diseases in Africa is getting worse by the day! Many people are losing their lives every day to these noncommunicable yet preventable and treatable diseases.?

You may be wondering, as an individual, what can I do to help? Raise awareness. Let everyone in your circles know that they can get the help necessary for them to live a high quality life by managing these chronic diseases successfully.

If you have a loved one with a chronic disease make a conscious effort to support them through a?reputable chronic disease management program.

If finding one is a challenge, involve companies such as?DiaspoCare, who have devoted their resources to connecting individuals and their loved ones to licensed health care providers for top quality medical care.

For day to day management and emergency consultation purposes, especially if you live away from your loved ones, consider an?annual telemedicine package?that comes with chronic disease management (for as little as $10 per year).?

Organizations of every stature, level and scale, need to unite, pool resources together to save the people of Africa from these preventable killers.

According to WHO, access to key services (detection, treatment, and screening) at the primary level in health facilities is the most effective and practical way of alleviating the burden of chronic diseases or noncommunicable diseases in Africa.

An integrated care approach?(screening, checkups, treatment coordination, and monitoring) will improve the quality of life and at the same time reduce the health care expenditure by containing or preventing the effects of the chronic diseases. In addition, health education for self-management goes a long way towards managing chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.?

Let’s all unite and fight against chronic diseases in Africa!