Burdens of noncommunicable disease and communicable disease on a typical Nigerian diabetes mellitus patient with multiple comorbidities

Abstract

Chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, respiratory, cancers, and diabetes are often regarded as noncommunicable diseases. The attendant challenges in their managements are rather demanding because of the huge cost implications in their diagnoses, treatments, and follow ups; the pressure, the physical and emotional exertions on patients’ relatives who constitute the primary-care providers; the poor prognoses and unfavorable case outcomes. Much more worrisome is the deleterious effects such disease conditions have on the immunity of patients. Non-communicable diseases break down patients’ walls of defenses and in the process pave way for myriads of communicable diseases. While most communicable diseases such as pneumonia, human immunodeficiency virus infections, tuberculosis, and coronavirus disease 2019 have a good prognosis in immunocompetent patients, concomitant presence with some of these noncommunicable diseases often produces poor or guarded prognosis. It is, therefore, imperative to ensure good public health advocacy on the menace of the threats posed by the duo of communicable and non-communicable diseases and the need for good health-seeking behaviors among patients. Besides, this case report will underscore the need for health insurance in developing countries. This case study aimed to highlight some of the burdens of non-communicable and communicable diseases on a typical Nigerian patient from the low socioeconomic class; his relatives and health care providers. He presented with history of cough, weight loss and diabetes mellitus at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba Lagos, Nigeria. Even though there was a good chance of surviving the illness, he succumbed due to multiple factors.