Arresting the ‘silent killer’

Speaking at the ordinary general meeting and scientific conference organised by the Association of Resident Doctors in Ikeja whose theme was ‘Double Tragedy: Increasing Incidence of Non-Communicable Diseases in the Presence of Infectious Diseases’, Odusanya said 30 out of every 100 Nigerians may be hypertensive. He is not raising an unnecessary alarm. Hypertension or high […]

Speaking at the ordinary general meeting and scientific conference organised by the Association of Resident Doctors in Ikeja whose theme was ‘Double Tragedy: Increasing Incidence of Non-Communicable Diseases in the Presence of Infectious Diseases’, Odusanya said 30 out of every 100 Nigerians may be hypertensive. He is not raising an unnecessary alarm. Hypertension or high blood pressure is becoming a real killer of Nigerians. Sometimes called the ‘silent killer’, it is surreptitiously killing a significant number of our people who are blissfully unaware of the fact that they are living with the disease. There are many cases of people who retire to bed hale and hearty only to be confirmed dead the next morning. In ignorance, such ‘mysterious’ and ‘untimely’ deaths are often attributed to the work of evil forces.
 And hypertension is by no means the only non-communicable disease growing at a worrying level in the country. An increasing number of Nigerians are also suffering from other non-transferable ailments such as cancer, diabetes, renal failure and obesity. Many Nigerians who seek medical help abroad are quite often victims of some of these diseases. Plane loads of Nigerians are often seen heading to Cairo, Saudi Arabia, India and South Africa looking for remedy.
The less affluent segment of the population that are victims of these diseases and who require large amount of money to treat themselves abroad because of paucity or non- existence of facilities here, are often compelled to appeal to the public for financial assistance to fund their trips and medical attention abroad, a humiliating spectre that one who is down with a disease ought not to subject themselves to.
It is lamentable that these diseases that were alien to us some generations ago are becoming real threat to the health of our people. They somehow look self-inflicted because they arise in large part from our lifestyle changes. It is, of course, to be expected that as we adopt an increasingly westernized lifestyle and diet, we will inherit diseases that come upon an urbanised, industrialised and sedentary people. But it needs not necessarily be so. Experts have pointed out that the solution lies in lifestyle changes. There is urgent need for a robust public health campaign aimed at making people to, first of all, be aware of the public health dangers staring all of us in the face. Such an awareness programme must also stress the need for all Nigerians to learn to eat healthy and live a very active life that will burn away bad fat and bad cholesterol. We must discipline our palates especially by avoiding sugary and heavily processed and denatured foods.
 In spite of the abundance of green leafy vegetables, delicious fruits and nuts even in our immediate neighbourhoods, many Nigerians ignore these treasures and are instead hooked on fast foods and beverages which experts say are not good for our health. This proclivity for ‘modern’ foods and drinks must change in the light of the public health threat now present in our country. It is said that it is only a fool who loves to learn from his own mistakes. A wise person, on the other hand, learns from the mistakes of others.
We are all aware of what heavy toll the non-communicable diseases, the ailments of the affluent, have taken on the pockets of individuals and the public till in the more affluent societies. We must therefore learn from their mistake especially as we do not have the money or the facilities to contain those diseases. The personal pains and the ravages on healthcare finances which some of these diseases cause can be avoided by a disciplined lifestyle on the part of the people and a sustained concern on the part of the government.