Screening for Non-communicable Diseases in Public Places in Upper Egypt

Background: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are one of the major health and development challenges of the 21st century. They cause human suffering and inflict harm on the socioeconomic fabric of countries, particularly low- and middle-income countries.

Aim: The study aims to screen for common NCDs in Egypt which are important for both primary and secondary health care services to provide more directed preventive and curative health programs.

Methods: A simple random sampling method was used to select 1816 participants screened for some common NCDs during world’s diabetes day activities in collaboration with Upper Egypt Diabetes Association. The screening included history taking, BMI, blood pressure measurement, and blood sugar estimation.

Results: Obesity (BMI ≥30) was detected in 51.8%, diabetes mellitus in 18.2%, hypertension in 25.1%, coronary heart disease in 3.7%, chronic lung disease in 7.4% and cancer history in 1%.

Conclusion: In comparison with previous Egyptian and WHO reports, our study observed higher prevalence of obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and coronary heart disease among the study participants, thus providing a rational basis for designing and implementing more directed healthcare programs at primary and secondary health care levels.