The Old Great Hall of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, came alive as over 100 participants gathered for a sensitization campaign on Pulmonary Hypertension (PH), a serious but often misdiagnosed condition characterized by high blood pressure in the lungs.

Organized by Cardiac Community in collaboration with the KB Klub, the event commemorated World Pulmonary Hypertension Day 2025 under the theme “Sometimes, It’s PH,” which emphasized the need for early diagnosis, as PH symptoms often mimic more familiar conditions like asthma or tuberculosis.

Ayotunde Omitogun, a Pulmonary hypertension advocate and founder of Cardiac Community, shared her powerful story of living with the deadly condition in Nigeria. “Our healthcare system is used to seeing only what it knows that it fails to see what it doesn’t. And in that gap, people like me, living with a rare disease such as pulmonary hypertension, are left behind,” she said, urging doctors to look beyond the obvious.

The event featured expert insights from Dr. Oyewole Kushimo, Consultant Cardiologist at Lagos University teaching Hospital (LUTH) who led the discussion on recognizing the signs of PH. His warning was clear: not every case of breathlessness is asthma.
Dr. Temitope Quaye from the Department of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and Dr. Peter Igoche, Consultant Pediatric Cardiologist at Limi Children’s Hospital, Abuja expanded the conversation by highlighting the link between sickle cell disease and PH in Nigeria. They emphasized that Nigeria bears the highest burden of sickle cell disease globally, urging the medical community to consider pulmonary hypertension when sickle cell patients present symptoms like breathlessness, fatigue, or persistent cough. Early suspicion, they noted, can significantly improve diagnosis and better outcome.

With a dynamic flow, from engaging hosts to a rich panel discussion and interactive Q&A, the event struck a balance between emotion and education. It concluded with a heartfelt vote of thanks from KB Klub Vice President, Mr. Ayobami Saliu, leaving attendees better informed and inspired to pay closer attention to this overlooked condition.