Stemming the tide of heart diseases in Nigeria

Cardiovascular diseases also known as heart diseases are on the rise in Nigeria, according to medical experts. They said the increasing rate of the disease is contributing greatly to medical tourism, and also causing untold hardships and sufferings for the patients and their families especially those who cannot afford its expensive treatment. Dr Fafure Olaitan, […]

Cardiovascular diseases also known as heart diseases are on the rise in Nigeria, according to medical experts. They said the increasing rate of the disease is contributing greatly to medical tourism, and also causing untold hardships and sufferings for the patients and their families especially those who cannot afford its expensive treatment.
Dr Fafure Olaitan, a cardiologist with the Zankli Medical Services, Abuja said that heart disease is an umbrella term for any type of disorder affecting the heart. He said that about 10 to 20 years ago, infectious diseases were the number one killer diseases in Africa but in the last five years, the incidence of heart disease has increased drastically.
“It is no more a first world countries ailment but now in a progressive and deadly rise in Nigeria. About three years ago heart diseases moved from about five percent to seven to 10 percent in Nigeria,”  he said.
He said that Nigeria has estimated progression mortality attributable to cardiovascular disease of about 12%, adding that  the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2014 revealed that the death rate of  cardiovascular heart disease is more than 53,000 in Nigeria.
According to Dr Augustine Odili, a cardiologist and an Associate Professor of internal medicine at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Abuja, the prevalence of heart diseases including cardiac arrest is increasing every day.
He said habits among Nigerians causing the disease include: sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity.
“These are the main risk factors.  These things cause hypertension or exacerbate those who are prone to hypertension or diabetes , this also  predispose people to heart attack. Smoking really is a major factor but not a major challenge in our country,” he said.
Speaking during the recent annual general meeting and scientific conference of the Nigerian Cardiac Society (NCS) in Abuja, chairman of the society, Prof. Amam Mbakwem  said the theme of this year’s conference, ‘ The heart in a changing environment “ is timely because the political, environmental , financial and other changes being witnessed in Nigeria negatively impact on the cardiovascular system in various ways .
He said the effect of environmental pollution on cardiovascular diseases had been established, adding that other factors include, individualized power generation projects, and the increasing volume of particulate matter being released into the environment daily.
Dr Fafure Olaitan said the causes of heart diseases include congenital heart diseases, coronary artery disease which comes as result of stiffness of the arteries that supply blood to the heart and also formation of cholesterol, and other factors within the blood vessels, such as when the valve in the heart is affected by fever or on the long run struck or obtrude the arteries which then limit blood flow to the heart.
Others include rheumatic fever or infectious endocarditis, those are things that  cause  valvular heart disease. Other causes are hypertension and erythema which are a disorder of the heart.
According to him, the risk factors are: smoking, alcoholism, drug abuse, stress, obesity, sedentary life style, hypertension, diabetes and cholesterol disorder.
He said that studies have revealed that people with lower social economic status were at 50 percent greater risk of developing heart diseases, adding that this was because of reduced health care access, poor adherence to treatment, and low level of education particularly in the rural area.
In addition, he said that  other factors that predisposes us  to various heart diseases include the fact that in Nigeria today, we are at the threshhold of epidemiological transition as a result of western culture and technological development as well as the rapid urbanisation  and adoption of  what is going on in the first world countries .
Both in the urban and the rural area there have not been a concrete study of prevalence but in both regions it has increased drastically, he said.

He said some habits that trigger heart disease are caused by risks factors.
“For example in our communities here in Nigeria, our eating habit is poor as well, as unhealthy. People hardly eat fruits and vegetable but more of salty food and those saturated with fat. Food is one of the most important risk factors because once you eat salty and fatty food lacking fruits and vegetable, it is an unhealthy way of eating which actually increases your blood pressure or contributes to the formation of arteriosclerosis thereby obstructing the blood vessel.”
Other factor that triggers heart disease is lack of exercise; that is sedentary life style, alcohol consumption, smoking, stress and others.

Ways to prevent heart diseases
Dr Olaitan said people should try to exercise regularly for at least 30 minutes, three to four times in a week, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, stop smoking, stop injecting alcohol into their system; and those that are overweight or obese should try as much as possible to reduce their weight.
He said it is also important for Nigerians to learn to manage stress, “We know it is a difficult thing to do in our society today seeing people waking up by 4.00am to get to work and they will not get there till about 8.00am and they close again by 5.00pm but will not get home until about 10.00 to 11.00 pm. Stress is a difficult factor to tackle but we must do it.”
He said people must check their blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar level regularly at least once in a year.
Dr.  Manoj Luthra , a cardiac surgeon  and Chief Executive Officer of Jaypee Hospital, India said that people can prevent heart diseases by eating the right things, doing the right amount of exercise, watching  one’s blood pressure, controlling one’s diabetes and not  smoking.

Halting medical tourism on heart diseases
Dr Olaitan advised that individuals and the governments including the private sector should create policies whereby people can benefit from our health system.
He said government should also equip hospitals, get more medical personnel aside doctors such as nurses, laboratory scientists, and even para-medics who he said are not available in Nigeria  but do alot in attending to patients first during emergencies before they get to the hospital.
He also called for an emergency call line.
Dr Odili of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital said medical tourism on heart diseases can be stemmed only through Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
 He added that unless we have health insurance that can take care of some of these issues, we may not be able to break even.
“Above all, those that are 40 years and above and even below 40 years are prone to hypertension and diabetes. We advise that they should check their blood pressure and sugar level and cholesterol,” he advised.
National president NCS, Prof. Amam Mbakwem  said the country can only achieve meaningful success in tacking cardiovascular diseases if there was collaboration between all sectors of government.