Cardiometabolic risk in Algeria: past and present

Algeria, like all emerging countries, has been going through a health transition over the past 30 years or so, characterized by a drop in mortality rates, an increase in life expectancy and a change in the causes of death in favor of chronic non-communicable diseases. In the past, the country mainly faced infectious diseases such as typhoid, cholera and malaria. The prevalence of the latter has been significantly reduced thanks to the many social health and vaccination programs undertaken by the health authorities. As a result of this epidemiological transition, we are witnessing a growing increase in the incidence of non-communicable diseases, mainly represented by cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity and cancer. According to the results of the latest national survey on the measurement of risk factors for non-communicable diseases (the Who StepWise approach), the prevalence of diabetes is close to 14.4% while the rate of obesity and overweight exceeds 50% of the population. High blood pressure has reached a prevalence rate of 23.6%. These diseases represent a real threat to our country's health, social and economic situation; they will lead to greater demands on health facilities and require more resources for intervention.