title: Surveillance and monitoring of major chronic diseases in Brazil - National Health Survey, 2013.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the major noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in Brazil, according to the information collected from individuals aged 18 years or older.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the National Health Survey (PNS), 2013, a transversal population-based study, were used. The proportions of each NCD were calculated and presented according to sex, with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI), with the absolute values.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the total respondents, 45.1% reported presenting at least one NCD. The region with the highest prevalence of NCDs was the South (52.1%). Hypertension showed the highest prevalence among NCDs, with 21.4%, followed by chronic back problem (18.5%), depression (7.6%), arthritis (6.4%), and diabetes (6.2%). The intense/very intense degree of limitation showed a higher prevalence of other mental illnesses (37.6%) and cerebrovascular accident (25.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The improvement of health services is essential for an effective response to the double burden of illness in the middle- and low-income countries.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Vigilância de Doenças e Agravos Não Transmissíveis, Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde, Ministério da Saúde, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Deborah Carvalho
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Malta
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Vigilância de Doenças e Agravos Não Transmissíveis, Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde, Ministério da Saúde, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sheila Rizzato
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Stopa
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Celia Landmann
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Szwarcwald
authors.affiliation: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Nayara Lopes
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.affiliation: Ministério da Saúde, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jarbas Barbosa
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Silva Júnior
authors.affiliation: Ministério da Saúde, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ademar Arthur Chioro
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Dos Reis
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence