Pharmacogenomics of Hypertension in Africa: Paving the Way for a Pharmacogenetic-Based Approach for the Treatment of Hypertension in Africans

Table 1

The top five causes of death in Africa recorded in 2019 by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Cause of death	Communicable/Noncommunicable	Number of deaths	Percentage (%) of total deaths in 2019
Lower respiratory tract infections	Communicable	774 252	9.9
Diarrhoea	Communicable	496 278	6.4
HIV/AIDS	Communicable	434 543	5.6
Ischaemic heart disease and stroke	Noncommunicable	429 179	5.5
Parasitic diseases	Communicable	388 229	5.0

Hypertension is the leading risk factor for ischaemic heart disease and stroke. Noncommunicable diseases rank fourth and are potentiated by hypertension.