Non-communicable diseases household survey data analysis in Sana’a City, Yemen, 2017

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) claim 41 million lives annually, accounting for 71% of global mortality. The Middle East sees a rapid increase in NCD cases, yet Yemen remains underexplored in this context. This study aims to investigate NCD epidemiology in Sana’a City, Yemen, for 2017. Raw data from a 2017 house-to-house survey conducted by the Ministry of Public Health and Population were analyzed. Household heads reported any of the following five NCDs in the household: hypertension (HTN), diabetes mellitus (DM), bronchial asthma (BA), mental disorders (MD), and epilepsy. Data were entered and analyzed using Epi info 7.2, using 2017 projections from the 2004 census. The study encompassed 241,310 households, housing 1,592,646 individuals. Among these, 59,061 households (24.48%) included 70,178 individuals with at least one NCD. The overall NCD prevalence was 4.4%, with specific prevalence: HTN 2.3%, DM 2.2%, BA 0.4%, MD 0.27, and epilepsy 0.19%. NCD prevalence was significantly higher among females than males (5.1% vs. 3.8%; odds ratio [OR] 1.35, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.33 – 1.35), a trend mirrored in HTN (3.1% vs. 1.6%; OR = 1.94, 95% CI: 1.90 – 1.98), DM (2.3% vs. 2.1%; OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.09 – 1.13), and BA (0.5% vs. 0.3%; OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.49 – 1.65). Conversely, MD was more prevalent among males than females (0.35% vs. 0.16%; OR = 2.2, 95% CI: 2.06 – 2.31). NCD prevalence increased with age, with nearly 18% of patients having more than one NCD, including 35.2% of HTN patients also having DM. One-quarter of surveyed households had at least one member with one or more of the five NCDs, emphasizing an overall NCD prevalence of 4.4%. These findings rely only on self-reported diagnosed cases, lacking standardized measures. In light of these findings, it is crucial to increase focus on NCDs, enhance health-care provision, improve data collection, implement an NCDs stepwise survey, and establish an NCD surveillance system.