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The World Hypertension Day was marked last week the world over to draw attention to the rising cases of the debilitating disease and how to curb it. During the event, the World Health Organisation (WHO), medical experts and other stakeholders in the health sector bemoaned the high prevalence of the disease in the country. They also listed measures to cage the prowling silent killer. The theme of this year’s World Hypertension Day, “Measure your blood pressure accurately, control it, live longer,” was aimed at waging a relentless war against the scourge.
Currently, with an estimated prevalence of hypertension put at between 30 and 40 per cent, about 80 million Nigerians are reportedly living with the disease. Unfortunately, only 26.7 million of them are receiving treatment. The Executive Director of Nigeria Heart Foundation (NHF), Dr. Kingsley Akinroye, deplored the high cases of hypertension and blamed the trend on the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and high cost of treatment.
The report of a recent study on the disease shows that its awareness is more in the urban than rural areas and also more amongst women than men. The Dean, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, and Director, Centre for Genomic and Precision Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Prof. Mayowa Owolabi, also submitted that about “50 million Nigerians and nearly half of those above 25 years are hypertensive at Blood Pressure (BP) greater and equal to 140/90mmHG.” The medic blamed the rise on unhealthy diet, such as red meat, high salt intake and low consumption of green leafy vegetables, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, smoking, and air pollution.
He equally opined that the increase in complications which was most evident at the onset and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria arose from the low proportion of people with hypertension who are diagnosed, treated and controlled. The medical expert stressed that uncontrolled hypertension is the leading risk factor for stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and heart failure.
The increasing cases of hypertension should be a cause for concern to our health experts and policy makers. They ought to be in the forefront of national effort to keep the disease at bay. With over 50 million Nigerians down with the condition and yet not accessing treatment, the situation is indeed scary and requires urgent action to address. Equally worrisome is the low level of awareness on the prowling disease, especially in the rural areas. To meet with the theme of this year’s World Hypertension Day, the federal and state governments will strive to increase awareness programmes on the disease, especially the control measures and treatment options. The local governments, where they exist at all, are enjoined to be part of the hypertension awareness campaign so that the message would get to every Nigerian.
Since many of those living with hypertension cannot afford the high cost of treatment, we urge the government and the global health body to subsidise the cost of treatment, especially for the poor and rural dwellers. It has also become necessary to intensify regular screening of Nigerians for hypertension in all health centres across the country for those above 18 years. This will enhance early detection and control of the ailment.
However, more attention should be paid on how to control the disease. Since sedentary lifestyle and obesity tend to increase the onset of the disease, we advise Nigerians to embrace more physical activities, such as walking, cycling and strive to reduce their weight, where proven to be high in order to maintain a healthy weight and body mass index (BMI).
The WHO has recommended about 150 – 300 minutes of moderate physical exercises per week for all adults and an average of 60 minutes per day for children and adolescents to achieve a healthy weight and heart health. Let Nigerians avoid excessive consumption of alcohol and tobacco smoking, factors that can lead to hypertension.
We urge all Nigerians, health related non-governmental organisations, faith-based health institutions and corporate bodies to collaborate with the government in creating awareness about the disease, prevention measures and treatment options.
