Nigerians And Healthy Living

At the peak of the just- concluded African Cup of Nations (AFCON) championship in Cote D’Ivoire, particularly in matches involving the national team, the Super Eagles, about five persons were reported to have died, perceptibly, due to heightened excitement and eventual collapse of vital organs in the body.  Those tragedies drew attention to the state of health of most Nigerians and the need for them to, on a regular basis, check their blood pressures, hearts, kidney and liver functions just to make certain that they are on the right path to healthy living.  

Cardiologists attributed the sudden collapse and death of those who died during that period to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) such as stroke, sudden heart attack or stress- induced heart problems. They also cautioned Nigerians who are not so sure of their good health to stop watching football altogether.

According to these experts, CVDs are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels which include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease and other conditions.

More than four out of five CVD deaths are due to heart attacks and strokes, and one third of these deaths occur prematurely in people under 70 years of age. The Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF), on its part, warned that heart disease is a leading cause of death not only in Nigeria but also globally.

Presently, many Nigerians have been pushed into hard times that generally challenge their health due to the deteriorating socio-economic conditions in the country. Consequently, they are not only squeezed financially, the situation exerts the kind of pressure that puts their wellbeing in jeopardy as many are now suffering serious medical conditions such as hypertension.

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Now, more than ever before, this newspaper is of the opinion that there is need for Nigerians to take their health seriously, especially in view of the current realities. It is pertinent to point out that the days when non communicable diseases (NCD), including cardio vascular diseases (CVDs), were tagged ‘big man’s illnesses’ are gone. Prevailing circumstances have put a lie to that long-held position given the relatively young age group and economic status of those afflicted by these silent killer ailments.

Available statistics indicate that more than half a billion people around the world continue to be affected by cardiovascular diseases, which accounted for 20.5 million deaths in 2021, while the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 76.2 million Nigerians are living with hypertension, which poses the highest cardiovascular disease burden.

However, the country’s morbidity and mortality rate due to CVDs are underestimated because of inadequate awareness, limited screening, and poor data repository. Experts posit that the most important behavioural risk factors of heart disease and stroke are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol. The effects may show up in individuals as raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose, raised blood lipids, overweight and obesity.

Among the cases of heart diseases in Nigeria, hypertension is the commonest in the adult population while others are heart attacks (coronary heart disease), heart muscle disease and rheumatic heart disease in children.

But, these “intermediate risks factors” can be measured in primary care facilities and indicate an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and other complications. Inexplicably, these facilities, which include equipment and manpower are either not available or they are inadequate to serve the needs of the people.

In our considered opinion, identifying those at highest risk of CVDs and ensuring they receive appropriate treatment can prevent premature deaths in the country. Access to noncommunicable disease medicines and basic health technologies in all primary health care facilities is essential to ensuring that those in need receive treatment and counselling.

Sadly, in our opinion, the quality of life presently cannot be compared to what it was 10 or 15 years ago. That makes it imperative that people should be actively conscious of their health status and be participants in their total wellness and well- being regimen.

It is an acknowledged fact that cessation of tobacco use, reduction of salt in the diet, eating more fruit and vegetables, regular physical activity and avoiding harmful use of alcohol have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

But, over and above the pertinence of individual attitude to healthy living, we draw attention to the urgency of putting in place health policies that create conducive environments for making healthy choices affordable and available as they are essential for motivating people to adopt and sustain healthy behaviour.

It is a matter for regret that because of the frenzy induced by the preference for medical tourism, especially by policy makers in the public sector, not too adequate attention is paid to the health sector in the country. The outcome of that unfortunate tendency is the resort to unorthodox medical practices that offer very little reliable remedy or non at all; dangerous option for self-medication and the reliance on faith-based practices that actually end up postponing the inevitable.