Non-communicable diseases pandemic and precision medicine: Is Africa ready?
review · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33639396.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103260 and PMC identifier 7921515.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) kill more than 41 million people every year, accounting for 71% of all deaths globally. The prevalence of NCDs is estimated to be higher than that of infectious diseases in Africa by 2030. Precision medicine may help with early identification of cases, resulting in timely prevention and improvement in the efficacy of treatments. However, Africa has been lagging behind in genetic research, a key component of the precision medicine initiative. A number of genomic research initiatives which could lead to translational genomics are emerging on the African continent which includes the Non-communicable Diseases Genetic Heritage Study (NCDGHS) and the Men of African Descent and Carcinoma of the Prostate (MADCaP) Network. These offer a promise that precision medicine can be applied in African countries. This review evaluates the advances of genetic studies for cancer, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and body mass index (BMI) in Africa.
Medical subject headings
- Noncommunicable Diseases
- Precision Medicine