Jos – The Permanent Secretary in
the Plateau State Ministry of
Health, Dr Elias Pede, said in Jos
on Wednesday that about 41 per
cent of Nigerians had been
confirmed to be hypertensive. “Based on current research, 41
per cent of Nigerians are
hypertensive. The scary aspect is
that that figure is expected to
increase over time,’’ Pede said
while briefing newsmen on this year’s Hypertension Day. He described hypertension as “a
major public health concern’’,
explaining that the prevalence
was higher among the low
income segment of the
population. “Research has also shown that
victims range around 40 per cent
of adults in African countries with
some as young as 25,” he added. The permanent secretary
cautioned against uncontrolled
high blood pressure, noting that
it heightened the risk of heart
attack, stroke, diabetes and
kidney failure. Pede defined hypertension as
raised blood pressure above the
normal range for sex or age. “Most people are hypertensive, it
affects one in every three adults.
The unfortunate thing about it is
that if it is not detected early and if
left untreated, it can cause heart
attack, stroke or death.” According to him, high blood
pressure occurs when the force
of blood pumping through the
blood vessel is higher than it
should be. “In fact, one out of every three
adults worldwide is hypertensive.
Globally, hypertension is
estimated to cause 7.5 million
deaths annually, representing 12
per cent of all deaths, hence the need for a renewed effort and an
urgent action to tackle the
scourge is paramount,” he stated. He described hypertension as a
“silent killer’’ because its
symptoms are not easily detected
until after it had caused much
damage that could manifest in
heart attack, stroke, diabetes and kidney failure. Pede said that the risk of
hypertension increased with
smoking, high alcohol intake,
stress, anxiety, diet high in salt
and fat, processed food and a
lack of or inadequate exercise. He cautioned against excessive
alcohol intake and diets high in
salt as they could make the body
to retain more fluid which makes
the heart work harder. “People should also inculcate the
act of exercising, maintaining a
healthy body weight, eating
adequate diet and avoiding
tobacco; they should also check
their blood pressure regularly to ascertain when it is high.’’ The permanent secretary said that
government had commenced the
creation of greater awareness of
the disease by sensitising the
public on the causes and
consequences of hypertension and how it could be prevented. “Government is also making
blood pressure measurements
affordable and easily accessible to
all,’’ he said. He advised adults to consistently
check their blood pressure and
follow the advice from health care
professionals. The News Agency of Nigeria
(NAN) reports that World Health
Day, which is always observed on
April 7, had the them “High Blood
Pressure” as its theme for this
year. (NAN)

www.vanguardngr.com/2013/04/health-alert-41-of-nigerians-are-hypertensive-official/

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