Rheumatic diseases in Africa
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Date
2021-06Author
Adelowo, Olufemi
Mody, Girish M
Tikly, Mohammed
Omondi, Oyoo
Slimani, Samy
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Historically, rheumatic diseases have not received much attention in Africa, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, possibly owing to a focus on the overwhelming incidence of infectious diseases and the decreased life span of the general population in this region. Global attention and support, together with better health policies and planning, have improved outcomes for many infectious diseases; thus, increasing attention is being turned to chronic non-communicable diseases. Rheumatic diseases were previously considered to be rare among Africans but there is now a growing interest in these conditions, particularly as the number of rheumatologists on the continent increases. This interest has resulted in a growing number of publications from Africa on the more commonly encountered rheumatic diseases, as well as case reports of rare diseases. Despite the limited amount of available data, some aspects of the epidemiology, genetics and clinical and laboratory features of rheumatic diseases in African populations are known, as is some detail on the use of therapeutics. Similarities and differences in these conditions can be seen across the multi-ethnic and genetically diverse African continent, and it is hoped that increased awareness of rheumatic diseases in Africa will lead to earlier diagnosis and better outcomes for patients.
Citation
Adelowo O, Mody GM, Tikly M, Oyoo O, Slimani S. Rheumatic diseases in Africa. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2021 Jun;17(6):363-374. doi: 10.1038/s41584-021-00603-4. Epub 2021 Apr 13. PMID: 33850309; PMCID: PMC8043097.Publisher
University of Nairobi
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
- Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) [10385]
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