Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide, killing 41 million people every year; this is equivalent to 71 percent of all deaths globally.Dr. Allan Mackenzie
Among NCDs, the top killers that together account for a big percentage of all premature NCD deaths (people under the age of 70) are cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and diabetes.
While incidences of such conditions were previously seen more with advancing age, there is a worrying trend with younger people between the ages of 30 to 69 being diagnosed with and even dying from non-communicable diseases.
Most of these deaths occur in low and middle-income countries due to poverty presenting a barrier to early detection and treatment.
Data from the 2015 Ministry of Health NCD STEPs survey showed that NCDs accounted for 31 percent of deaths in Kenya at the time, with 51 percent of those deaths being considered premature. These trends still hold.
More than half of in-patient admissions and 40 percent of hospital deaths in Kenya are due to NCDs, and given the high cost of hospitalization especially for managing complications such as stroke and heart attacks, these catastrophic expenditure ends up sending many families pushed further below the poverty line.
Being diagnosed with an NCD often means years of poor health and disability in some instances.
Modern lifestyles, which involve spending long hours seated in front of computers at work or school with little physical activity is a leading risk factor for conditions such as obesity and hypertension, which has a prevalence rate of 25% in Kenya.
Patients diagnosed with the condition usually have a blood pressure of above 140/90, with higher readings correlating with more severe forms of hypertension.
A study by the medical journal Lancet titled, “The rising burden of non-communicable diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa” predicts that NCDs are set to overtake communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases combined as the leading cause of mortality in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030.
This means that there is an urgent need to develop prevention and control strategies to curb the burden of NCDs in the region.
While there have been considerable efforts and initiatives by the Kenya government and partners towards the prevention and control of NCDs such as the Healthy Heart Africa Programme, these initiatives are hindered by numerous challenges.
Across the country, the health systems are still largely oriented to address communicable diseases with the uptake of preventive services such as screening remain low despite deliberate efforts to make them available and accessible.
Poor readiness of health facilities to provide NCD services, unavailability of good data and limited information on the situation and trends in mortality and morbidity are some of the key challenges in addressing NCDs.
Regular health check-ups are recommended by doctors across the globe as a way of preventing and managing NCDs - they help in diagnosing the conditions early and ensuring that those who develop any of the conditions are picked up early through screening activities, receiving prompt diagnosis and are linked to care and follow up.
This care pathway can ensure that the condition is controlled, thereby significantly delaying or avoiding the development of complications such as end organ damage, which can significantly reduce the quality of life and lead to premature death.
However, because of the high cost of treatment in Kenya, many people only seek healthcare services when they are already exhibiting severe symptoms with the disease having progressed to advanced stages where treatment is often quite challenging and costly.
Reversing this trend will require concerted efforts by all players in the health system through the promotion of healthy lifestyles and enforcement of policies that will change the public’s health -seeking behaviour.
Hospitals, including private facilities, can work towards pricing their services in a manner that encourages members of the public to normalize seeking regular check-up and timely treatment of identified conditions. Hospitals can also regularly organize wellness outreach campaigns as part of health promotion and community service.
To address the high and rising burden of NCDs, some facilities across the country are at the forefront of supporting patients living with chronic conditions and have invested in modern diagnostic equipment and technologies that allow health practitioners to monitor and manage patients at affordable costs.
Amref Health Africa and Equity Afia among others have also embraced a collaborative approaches in case management where care can be escalated through working with partners for screening, early diagnosis, treatment, and chronic care or by visiting multidisciplinary specialist teams that provide comprehensive and personalised services to patients.
It is important to remember that anyone can get Non-Communicable Diseases. Therefore, we all should strive to lead a healthy lifestyle through regular physical activity, eating healthy diets, managing our weight and avoiding excessive use of tobacco and alcohol.
Bearing in mind that some of these conditions, like hypertension, do not exhibit visible symptoms, getting regular checkups will help us detect these diseases early and manage them appropriately.
The author is a trained medic with a wealth of experience in managing Non-Communicable Diseases.