Contribution of cardiovascular disease to the burden of non-communicable diseases in Africa: an analysis of data from Global Burden of Disease database, 1990–2019

Background and purpose: Disease burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been increasing in low- and middle-income countries, especially in African countries. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a common NCDs and the leading cause of death in Africa. Yet, evidence on the contribution of CVD to the total NCDs burden is scarce. This study aimed to investigate the contribution of CVD to the total disease burden caused by NCDs in Africa between 1990 and 2019. Methods: Data on NCDs, including CVD, were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database. Disease burden was measured by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and deaths. Results: From 1990 to 2019, the share of CVD in the total NCDs burden increased and remained as the first contributor. In 2019, NCDs caused 204 million DALYs and over 2.18 million deaths in the Africa Union, among which 49.1% of the total DALYs and 66.0% of deaths were caused by the traditional five NCDs, including CVD that accounted for the largest burden of NCDs (20.5% of DALYs and 35.2% of deaths). The proportion of CVD to the total NCDs burden was most considerable, reaching up to 32.4% and 52.4% in Northern Africa for DALYs and deaths, respectively. CVD were important contributors to NCDs burden in Africa, including ischemic heart disease (1334 DALYs per 100,000 and 27.79 deaths per 100,000) and intracerebral hemorrhage (632 DALYs per 100,000 and 13.53 deaths per 100,000) that were the top two causes of NCDs in 2019. Conclusions: CVD has been the biggest contributor to NCDs burden in the Africa Union over the thirty years. Given the increase in the share of NCDs burden attributable to CVD, it demands a close attention to implementing cost-effective policies and interventions for CVD to achieve an improvement in population health and reduction of health loss from NCDs.