Prevalence and Correlates of Major Chronic Illnesses among Older Kuwaiti Nationals

Nasra M. Shah, Kuwait University
Jaafar Behbehani, Kuwait University
Makhdoom A. Shah, Kuwait University

With aging of the population chronic illness morbidity and mortality is becoming increasingly important in Kuwait. A household survey on psychosocial health of 2,487 Kuwaitis aged 50+, was conducted during February 2005 to June, 2007. It indicated the doctor-diagnosed prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease to be 53%, 51%, and 18%, respectively, indicating a remarkable increase since 1996. Prevalence of the three diseases increased linearly by age among both sexes. Co-morbidity of the three diseases also increased markedly by age. The percentage suffering from all three diseases increased from 4% among those aged 50-59 to 9% among those aged 60-69 and 21% among those aged 70+. Prevalence was consistently higher among the relatively less educated, those with relatively higher levels of income, and those who participated in social activities less frequently. The alarmingly high prevalence levels highlight the need to devise focused intervention programs for reducing morbidity and mortality.