Epidemiology of metabolic risk factors in Uganda
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Institute of Public Health
Abstract
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, are emerging as major health problems in sub-Saharan Africa, including Uganda. To help inform future prevention and treatment for NCDs in these populations, it will be important to identify and understand the risk factors that may influence the development of NCDs in African populations. The overall aim of the study is to assess the patterns and distributions of these risk factors, and their interrelation with infectious factors, in Ugandan populations. Our objectives are to characterise the variation in circulating blood risk factors such as cholesterol, glucose, genetic markers and obesity in up to 15,000 people from urban and rural areas of Uganda.
The study will help provide a greater understanding of diseases in African populations, informing potential therapies. Importantly, the study will provide estimates of the prevalence of NCDs, such as type 2 diabetes. This information will provide the the basis for health policy and public health programmes aimed at addressing the rise of NCDs in Uganda. It may also inform public health strategies in other African countries.
The study will help provide a greater understanding of diseases in African populations, informing potential therapies. Importantly, the study will provide estimates of the prevalence of NCDs, such as type 2 diabetes. This information will provide the the basis for health policy and public health programmes aimed at addressing the rise of NCDs in Uganda. It may also inform public health strategies in other African countries.
Technical Summary
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are emerging as a major health problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, one of the major obstacles in developing appropriate preventative strategies at the national level is a lack of reliable data on disease burden and associated risk factors. The overall aim of the proposal is to assess the epidemiology of metabolic risk factors, and their interrelation with infectious factors, in Ugandan populations.
We will measure metabolic biomarkers and infectious factors in up to 10,000 participants from the General Population Cohort (GPC) study, a rural population-based cohort of around 18,000 people who are followed up annually through demographic socio-medical and serological surveys. Measurements of anthropometric factors and blood pressure will be done as part of the usual survey rounds for the GPC study. We will also measure selected metabolic risk factors in up to 5,000 participants from a national cross sectional study that is broadly representative of the Ugandan population?the AIDS Indicator Survey 2004/2005. This approach will provide the opportunity to compare potential differences between urban and rural study participants for the distribution and prevalence of metabolic risk factors. Given the marked differences in metabolic risk factors among ethnic groups, and using customised genome-wide chip arrays, we will also use genetic epidemiological approaches to provide greater insight into the biological mechanisms underlying the variation in metabolic risk factors in African populations.
This proposal will help provide a unique framework to build on a large scale prospective cohort study to examine a wide range of health indices in an African population?providing the groundwork for long-term study. It will also provide potential aetiological insights into potential determinants of the variation in metabolic and infectious risk factors using both population genetic and epidemiological approaches; estimates of the prevalence of metabolic disorders (T2D, dyslipidaemia and liver dysfunction) in these populations; and the basis for health policy and public health programmes aimed at addressing the rise of NCDs in Uganda, which may also inform public health strategies in other African countries.
We will measure metabolic biomarkers and infectious factors in up to 10,000 participants from the General Population Cohort (GPC) study, a rural population-based cohort of around 18,000 people who are followed up annually through demographic socio-medical and serological surveys. Measurements of anthropometric factors and blood pressure will be done as part of the usual survey rounds for the GPC study. We will also measure selected metabolic risk factors in up to 5,000 participants from a national cross sectional study that is broadly representative of the Ugandan population?the AIDS Indicator Survey 2004/2005. This approach will provide the opportunity to compare potential differences between urban and rural study participants for the distribution and prevalence of metabolic risk factors. Given the marked differences in metabolic risk factors among ethnic groups, and using customised genome-wide chip arrays, we will also use genetic epidemiological approaches to provide greater insight into the biological mechanisms underlying the variation in metabolic risk factors in African populations.
This proposal will help provide a unique framework to build on a large scale prospective cohort study to examine a wide range of health indices in an African population?providing the groundwork for long-term study. It will also provide potential aetiological insights into potential determinants of the variation in metabolic and infectious risk factors using both population genetic and epidemiological approaches; estimates of the prevalence of metabolic disorders (T2D, dyslipidaemia and liver dysfunction) in these populations; and the basis for health policy and public health programmes aimed at addressing the rise of NCDs in Uganda, which may also inform public health strategies in other African countries.