World Heart Day is celebrated every year on September 29 globally. It is a day set aside to raise awareness of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) as well as their preventive methods. As the entire world goes through unprecedented health challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been increased pressure on medical and health workers because of the extra demands for healthcare.

The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic notwithstanding, this year’s theme for World Heart Day 2020 has been declared as ‘Use Heart to Beat Cardiovascular Disease.’

In commemoration of the 2020 World Heart Day, our correspondent had a chat with Dr Tamaraemumoemi Emmanuella Okoro, who doubles as the Head, Department of Medicine, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, and Consultant Cardiologist, Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, Bayelsa State.

Okoro is also the current Chairperson of the Medical and Dental Consultants of Nigeria, Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, Bayelsa State.

According to Okoro, the role of the cardiovascular system (CVS), involving the heart and blood vessels, is more than just pumping blood to tissues and organs of the body, it is also responsible for the transport of oxygen to the tissues while returning deoxygenated blood to the lungs from where oxygenated blood is carried to systemic circulation.

She maintained that the CVS also functions in helping the body maintain optimal temperature and combat invading pathogens.

Okoro stressed that cardiovascular diseases remain one of the most frequently implicated diseases in the loss of lives worldwide.

“Several people who died as a result of COVID-19 also had cardiovascular complications that originally lowered their immune response in addition to COVID-19,” Okoro said.

She reiterated that this year’s World Heart Day theme focuses on taking care of the heart during the pandemic.

“Cardiovascular diseases are diseases of the heart and blood vessels and mostly include stroke, heart failure, and “heart attacks”, with the most common risk factor being hypertension. I have carried out an informed cross-sectional study to assess depression in patients with cardiovascular diseases, focusing on the relationship between depression and CVDs in those patients.

“The study made use of anthropometric measurements, blood pressure readings, lipid profiles, electrocardiography (ECG), chest radiograph, and echocardiography. Findings from the research revealed a positive relationship between depression/hypertension and cardiovascular diseases,” Okoro added.

Moreover, Okoro explained that working together with the neuropsychiatric team, she also developed a protocol for routine depression screening for patients with CVDs.

She maintained that the protocol has been in use at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, as an original contribution of significant significance in cardiology due to its local content consideration, especially well suited for patients in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“I therefore propose routine depression screening for all patients with CVD risk factors and or CVDs as part of their care protocol,” said Okoro