TACKLING NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES IN NIGERIA

WRITER: OLAYINKA ALAYA TOPIC: TACKLING NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES IN NIGERIA Over the past one and half decades, medical experts have focused much attention on the subject of hypertension and other dreadful diseases such as Measles, Cancer, meningitis, diabetes mellitus among others. There investigations, treatments and complication. It was discovered that hypertension and diabetes mellitus are closely associated such that thirty to fifty percent of diabetic patients are also hypertensive. Indeed, diabetes mellitus has long been recognised as a very important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Besides, co-existence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus predisposes the sufferer to increase risk of developing complications such as stroke and heart attack. Hypertension, simply put, is abnormal high blood pressure. Technically, it can also be defined as the level of blood pressure where the benefits of action out -weights the risk and causes of inaction. According to researchers, hypertension afflicts over a billion people world wide. It was reported that nineteen point three to thirty-four point eight per cent of Nigerians live with hypertension, translating into a total figure of about forty-million people. The disease is said to be no respecter of race, gender or age. Cardiovascular diseases of which hypertension takes the lion share in Nigeria are a leading cause of death and disability today, accounting for over seventeen point three million deaths annually world-wide. Eighty per cent of these deaths occur in the middle and low income countries of which Nigeria is one. The World Health Organisation reports that Sub-optional blood pressure accounts for over sixty per cent and about fifty per cent of stroke and heart attack. The World Bank has already alerted that until and unless the war against non-communicable disease, cardiovascular diseases inclusive is elegantly fought and won, all attempts at improving the world poverty indices, would remain a mirage because of the toll on overall productivity of nations. According to a Professor of Medicine at the College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Professor Ibraheem Katibi while delivering a lecture at the University of Ilorin Auditorium on, “The choice is yours and the burden is ours”, traced the genesis of hypertension to the free choices we make during spouse selection, pregnancy, delivery, events in early childhood and adult life. Professor Katibi noted that the risk could be reduced through proper pre-marital counselling and choice of partner saying that it has been reported that babies from mothers who consumed a lot of alcohol during pregnancy or who suffered intrauterine growth retardation or both asphyxia have increased propensity to develop hypertension. Proffering solutions and preventions, Professor Ibraheem Katibi said one of the reasons for inadequate blood pressure control is non compliance to drug therapy which he said was high as in forty of hypertensive patients at the teaching hospital and however stressed the need to strengthen the department for non-communicable diseases in the Federal Ministry of Health with policy regulation of alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking through heavy taxation, limited ban and restricted use in public places. Religious bodies or congregations, cooperative societies, civil servants, market women and men, road transport workers, barbers and other similar organisations and groups should be empowered to screen for high blood pressure through basic training. There should be provision of more recreational and sporting facilities in the communities and working environment in order to encourage increased physical activity. Government should also improve budgetary allocation to health and prudent management of available resources as well as improved funding for cardiovascular research in particular.