• Uncontrolled HBP claims over 10 million lives yearly
• Experts advocate drug adherence, lifestyle modification to curb menace

As the global community marks World Hypertension Day, the worsening cost of living crisis, stress, ignorance and sedentary lifestyle have been named as the drivers of the silent killer in Nigeria.

According to the Nigerian Cardiac Society (NCS), between 30 and 40 per cent of Nigerian adults live with High Blood Pressure (HBP), with many cases remaining undiagnosed and untreated.

The Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF) laments that over 80 million Nigerians are living with the condition.

Experts warn that the severe economic hardship, especially the soaring costs of rent, school fees, transportation and other living expenses, was putting immense stress on Nigerians, thereby contributing to a surge in hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases.

According to NCS, from studies, only 60 per cent of Nigerians who are hypertensive are aware, and out of this, only 33 per cent receive treatment, with only about 10 per cent having their blood pressure under control.

Hypertension, commonly referred to as a “silent killer”, remains the leading preventable cause of premature death worldwide, with an estimated 1.4 billion people living with the disease globally, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Uncontrolled high blood pressure claims more than 10 million lives every year.

Despite the availability of effective and affordable treatments, many people are unaware of their condition, and only about one in four people with hypertension have their blood pressure adequately controlled.

Hypertension is a leading cause of heart attack, stroke, chronic kidney disease and dementia.

Hypertension, also called Systemic Hypertension, is a clinical condition characterised by persistently elevated blood pressure above 140/90 mmHg. It is a silent killer because many times, it doesn’t give any symptoms before complications start. The complications are myriad, including stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney diseases.

Health experts identified unhealthy diets, including excessive salt consumption, a diet high in saturated fat and trans fats, low intake of fruits and vegetables, lack of physical activity, excessive alcohol intake, and being overweight, as risk factors for hypertension and associated diseases.

They noted that lifestyle changes such as eating a healthy, low-salt diet, losing weight, being physically active and quitting tobacco could help lower HBP.

World Hypertension Day is observed every May 17 and forms part of Hypertension Awareness Month.

This year’s theme, ‘Controlling Hypertension Together: Check your blood pressure regularly, defeat the silent killer’, aims to raise global awareness of the disease, promote prevention, detection, and control, and encourage action at individual, community, and health-system levels.

In an interview with The Guardian, the Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF) Director of Hypertension, Prof. Austine Obasohan, revealed that not less than 80 million people in Nigeria were hypertensive.

He said, “The burden of hypertension in Nigeria is immense, current estimate is that 30 to 40 per cent of Nigerians are hypertensive. So, considering a population of 200 million-plus, that would be nothing short of 80 million people. So, we are approaching 100 million people who are hypertensive. So, that is a huge burden”.

Also speaking with The Guardian, the President of the NCS, Prof Anthony Odili, said the incidence of hypertension “is on the rise in Nigeria”, adding that about four in every 10 adult Nigerians are hypertensive.

Describing the situation as very worrisome, Odili noted that the rate is among the highest in the world.

Consultant Cardiologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and a senior Lecturer at the Lagos State College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Dr Adeola Ajibare, expressed worries about the rising cases of HBP in Nigeria, sub-Saharan Africa and the world at large and lamented that the rate of rise in the prevalence of hypertension in Nigeria was worse compared to the developed world.