A consultant cardiologist to University of Lagos Teaching Hospital, LUTH, and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Lagos, Dr Amam Mbakwem, has expressed worry about the growing incidence of hypertensive disorders in Nigeria, warning that currently, no less than 40 percent of adults in the country are hypertensive.
Speaking, in Lagos during the 25th anniversary of Pfizer’s commitment to cardiovascular health in Nigeria, Mbakwem, who is also Vice President, Nigerian Cardiac Society and affiliate member, European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Peripartum Cardiomyopathy, urged Nigerians to imbibe the habit of regular blood pressure monitoring towards reducing the risk of high blood pressure and other related diseases. He said: “What we are looking today is hypertension because it is a big problem. We cannot but talk about it because hypertension in Nigeria has gone from 11 percent to 20 percent, now we are talking about 40 percent.
What this means is that in every 10 Nigerian adults, there is a possibility that four of them have high blood pressure. “And the problem is not just about the numbers. High blood pressure can damage the brain because of stroke, it can damage the heart because it causes heart failure and and Ishaemic diseases like heart attack, and can damage the kidneys and the arteries,” she stated.
Also speaking, Medical Director and Chairman of the Country Medical Council, Pfizer Nigeria and East Africa Region, Dr. Kodjo Soroh, said prevention of hypertension was non-negotiable. He said: “Twenty five years ago, Pfizer introduced into the market an innovative molecule that addresses the problem of high blood pressure that concerns black Africans in particular. Ever since this molecule was introduced 25 years ago, we have noticed that many lives have been saved. “As it is currently, nearly 30 percent of Nigerians in a population of 170 million are hypertensive.
High blood pressure is a silent killer. It is never noticed until there are complications including impotence, heart failure, kidney failure.” Urging that people should be aware of their blood pressure, glucose level, cholesterol and other disposing factors, Soroh said advancing age, lack of exercise, diet, and stress are significant. “If you are predisposed, that is when the stress comes in that is when you will have HBP, but stress on its own as a predisposing factor will not do much for you. But if you can avoid the predisposing factors, everything falls back into your hands,” he said.
