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Comparative Study
. 2013 Nov-Dec;56(3):234-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.pcad.2013.09.019. Epub 2013 Sep 28.

The epidemiology of cardiovascular diseases in sub-Saharan Africa: the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors 2010 Study

Andrew Moran  1 , Mohammad Forouzanfar, Uchechukwu Sampson, Sumeet Chugh, Valery Feigin, George Mensah
Affiliations
Comparative Study

The epidemiology of cardiovascular diseases in sub-Saharan Africa: the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors 2010 Study

Andrew Moran et al. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2013 Nov-Dec.

Abstract

The epidemiology of cardiovascular diseases in sub-Saharan Africa is unique among world regions, with about half of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) due to causes other than atherosclerosis. CVD epidemiology data are sparse and of uneven quality in sub-Saharan Africa. Using the available data, the Global Burden of Diseases, Risk Factors, and Injuries (GBD) 2010 Study estimated CVD mortality and burden of disease in sub-Saharan Africa in 1990 and 2010. The leading CVD cause of death and disability in 2010 in sub-Saharan Africa was stroke; the largest relative increases in CVD burden between 1990 and 2010 were in atrial fibrillation and peripheral arterial disease. CVD deaths constituted only 8.8% of all deaths and 3.5% of all disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in sub-Sahara Africa, less than a quarter of the proportion of deaths and burden attributed to CVD in high income regions. However, CVD deaths in sub-Saharan Africa occur at younger ages on average than in the rest of the world. It remains uncertain if increased urbanization and life expectancy in some parts of sub-Saharan African nations will transition the region to higher CVD burden in future years.

Keywords: Burden of disease; CVD; Cardiovascular disease; GBD 2010; Global Burden of Disease 2010 Study; Global health; ICD; International Classification of Diseases; Mortality; Sub-Saharan Africa; YLD; YLL; cardiovascular disease; years lived with disability; years of life lost due to disability.

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Conflict of interest statement

Statement of Conflict of Interest: All authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Leading causes of cardiovascular disease burden, sub-Saharan Africa, 1990 and 2010
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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