Abstract
Abstract. In sub-Saharan Africa, the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) remains under appreciated, but emerging evidence suggests it to be substantial. NCDs such as arterial hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney diseases are especially relevant, and put additional strain on the already challenged health systems in this region. Moreover, NCDs appear to be associated with higher mortality and morbidity rates and are more common in younger population groups, in people from sub-Saharan Africa when compared to more developed countries. In this review, we summarize the current literature on the burden of NCDs in sub-Saharan Africa, and highlight the clinical implications of the most relevant etiologies, i.e. arterial hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney diseases.
Zusammenfassung. In Subsahara-Afrika bleibt die Belastung durch nicht übertragbare Krankheiten (NCDs) unterbewertet, aber es gibt neue Erkenntnisse, die darauf hindeuten, dass sie erheblich sind. Nicht übertragbare Krankheiten wie arterielle Hypertonie, Herzerkrankungen, Diabetes mellitus und chronische Nierenerkrankungen sind besonders relevant und belasten die bereits geforderten Gesundheitssysteme in dieser Region zusätzlich. Darüber hinaus scheinen nicht übertragbare Krankheiten mit einer höheren Sterblichkeits- und Morbiditätsrate verbunden zu sein und sind in jüngeren Bevölkerungsgruppen in Subsahara-Afrika häufiger anzutreffen als in weiter entwickelten Ländern. In diesem Beitrag fassen wir die aktuelle Literatur über die Belastung durch nicht übertragbare Krankheiten in Afrika südlich der Sahara zusammen und heben die klinischen Auswirkungen der wichtigsten Ätiologien hervor, d.h. arterielle Hypertonie, Herzkrankheiten, Diabetes mellitus und chronische Nierenerkrankungen.
Résumé. En Afrique subsaharienne, le fardeau des maladies non transmissibles (MNT) reste sous-estimé, mais de nouvelles données indiquent qu’il est considérable. Les maladies non transmissibles telles que l’hypertension artérielle, les maladies cardiaques, le diabète sucré et les maladies rénales chroniques sont particulièrement pertinentes et exercent une pression supplémentaire sur les systèmes de santé déjà en difficulté dans cette région. En outre, les maladies non transmissibles semblent être associées à des taux de mortalité et de morbidité plus élevés et sont plus fréquentes dans les groupes de population plus jeunes, chez les populations d’Afrique subsaharienne que dans les pays plus développés. Dans cette revue, nous résumons la littérature actuelle sur le fardeau des maladies non transmissibles en Afrique subsaharienne et soulignons les implications cliniques des étiologies les plus pertinentes, à savoir l’hypertension artérielle, les maladies cardiaques, le diabète sucré et les maladies rénales chroniques.
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