Skip to main content

Health improves in Arab states, but heart disease and depression are on the rise




People in Arab states are living longer, but these gains have come at the cost of increased heart disease and depression. The Philanthropy Age (Issue 05, May-July 2014) documented findings from a series of papers published in The Lancet, a medical journal, that tracked the leading causes of death, and the state of public health, in Arab states between 1990 and 2010. The Arab states included Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Yemen.

Life expectancy has risen in Arab states since 1990, but Yemen and Somalia lag behind. In comparison with the global average life expectancy of 70 years, life expectancy of people in Arab states are: United Arab Emirates (UAE) – 77 years, Bahrain –76 years, Saudi Arabia – 75 years, Egypt – 71 years, Morocco – 70 years, Iraq – 69 years, Yemen – 63 years, and Somalia – 54 years (2011 data). Yemeni men have one of the shortest life spans among Arab states at 65.5 years.

Disease prevention has increased in all Arab states, except Yemen and Somalia – both have remained unchanged in 20 years. The top causes of death in 1990 were diarrhoea (16.8%), respiratory infections (14.7%), malaria (5.6%), malnutrition (4.8%), and congenital anomalies (4.8%). In 2010 the top causes of death were respiratory infections (12.2%), diarrhoea (10.2%), malaria (7.0%), pre-term birth complications (4.9%), and congenital anomalies (4.2%).

Road deaths were increasing as early killers of people aged 15-49, causing 8.4% of all early deaths (under 50 years) across the region. The reported road traffic fatalities across the Arab states in 2010 were: Saudi Arabia – 6,596 deaths (86% male), UAE – 826 deaths (89% male), Oman – 820 deaths (85% male), Kuwait – 374 (84% male), Qatar (228 (97% male), and Bahrain – 75 (83% male).

Depression has been rising across Arab states since 1990. Major depressive disorders was the fourth most common cause of early death in 2010, with North Africa the most afflicted of all reported cases. In 1990 middle-income Arab states reported 2.7% of deaths from depression, with 4.1% in 2010. In 1990 high-income Arab states reported 4.9% of deaths from depression, with 6.9% in 2010.

The rise in depressive disorders may be caused by more reporting as the stigma of depressive disorders decreases. Public health campaigns in depression awareness are now quite common too. However, while most health changes examined by the study were consistent with global patterns, the prevalence of depression and anxiety was more pervasive in Arab countries than worldwide. Another reason may be due to the region’s high youth demographics. Major depressive disorders disproportionately affect young adults, compared to other age groups.



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh  (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. That
1 comment
Read more

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass
Post a Comment
Read more

The Beggars' Strike by Aminata Sow Fall: book review

The Beggar’sStrike (1979 in French and 1981 in English) is set in an unstated country in West Africa in a city known only as The Capital. Undoubtedly, Senegalese author Sow Fall writes of her own experiences. It was also encapsulated in the 2000 film, Battu , directed by Cheick Oumar Sissoko from Mali. Mour Ndiaye is the Director of the Department of Public Health and Hygiene, with the opportunity of a distinguished and coveted promotion to Vice-President of the Republic. Tourism has declined and the government blames the local beggars in The Capital. Ndiaye must rid the streets of beggars, according to a decree from the Minister. Ndiaye instructs his department to carry out weekly raids. One of the raids leads to the death of lame beggar, Madiabel, who ran into an oncoming vehicle as he tried to escape, leaving two wives and eight children. Soon after, another raid resulted in the death of the old well-loved, comic beggar Papa Gorgui Diop. Enough is enou
8 comments
Read more