Evidencing the clinical and economic burden of musculoskeletal disorders in Tanzania: Paving the way for urgent rheumatology service development

Since 1990, there has been a dramatic rise in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) within low-and middleincome countries (LMICs); the burden of NCDs in LMICs rose from accounting for 39% of disability-adjusted life years in 1990 to 66% in 2019 [1]. In response to this growing burden, global, regional and national health institutions have become increasingly active in orchestrating a response to NCDs. The global response to NCDs has prioritized cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes, with the World Health Organization Regional Office in Africa adding region-specific NCD burdens, such as sickle cell disease, to broaden priorities [2]. Amidst this galvanization of efforts to tackle NCDs, musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions have been relatively overlooked and neglected, resulting in an urgent need for service development to respond to MSK conditions in LMICs [1].