Chronic diseases of First World spreading to Africa

Health data released yesterday provided the clearest evidence to date of the spread of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease from developed nations to poorer regions such as Africa, as lifestyles and diets there change.

The UN data showed one in three adults worldwide has raised blood pressure — the cause of around half of all deaths from stroke and heart disease — and the condition affects almost half the adult population in some countries in Africa.

In its annual report on global health, the Geneva-based World Health Organisation (WHO) also said one in 10 adults worldwide has diabetes, kidney failure, and blindness.