The Nigeria Hypertension Society has expressed concern about the rising cost of medicines for the treatment of hypertension, saying this poses potential threat to efforts being made to control the disease in Nigeria.
The President of the Society, Prof. Simeon Isezuo, stated this on Thursday in Abuja during a media conference to mark the 2024 World Hypertension Day.
The theme for the 2024 World Hypertension Day is: “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer”.
The World Hypertension Day is observed globally on May 17, with the aim to create awareness and promote the prevention, detection and treatment of hypertension.
Isezuo said that obesity, sedentary lifestyle and diet rich in salt, fats and sugar are the main factors that gave rise to the burden of hypertension in Africa.
He, however, recommended the consumption of traditional African food derived from roots, stem and leaves, including regular exercise and optimum weight for the prevention of hypertension
He urged the government to encourage local manufacturer of medicines for the disease and also prioritise Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The society also advised that unhealthy foods be taxed to discourage their consumption, while legislation should be enacted to enforce appropriate labelling of salt, fat and sugar contents on food packages.
According to Isezuo, hypertension has no symptom and so, does not show until serious damage has been done to the body.
According to him, many people with hypertension are unaware they have it and only a few of those who are aware are on treatment.
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Isezuo also said that the disease could be inherited, which could also affect multiple members of the same family.
He, therefore, advised that Nigerians should strengthen traditional African family system in the control of hypertension.
“These include sharing of information about hypertension, promotion of native African diet, and involvement in physical domestic activities instead of leaving them exclusively for house helps.
“Families should support and encourage their members with hypertension to take their medicines regularly.
“Regular blood pressure check should be encouraged in the family. Ultimately, every family or household or home in Nigeria should have a blood pressure apparatus for regular blood pressure check” he said.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, said that hypertension was a leading cardiovascular disease and Non-Communicable Disease (NCDs) and was responsible for significant morbidity and mortality.
Pate, represented by the Acting Director, Public Health in the ministry, Dr Akpan Micheal, stated that the Low-and-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) accounted for nearly 80 percent of the global cardiovascular disease burden.
The minister said no fewer than one billion people globally were living with hypertension and this represents more than 30 percent of the adult population.
According to him,with the number of people living with hypertension, only 52 percent are aware of their condition while 35 percent are on treatment and less than 14 percent have their blood pressure controlled.
He said: “It is worrisome that the burden of hypertension is disproportionately more in LMICs in recent decades due to increase in risk factors such as tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and harmful alcohol consumption.
“The high burden is further accentuated by the high proportion of persons that are unaware of their condition, putting them at risk of avoidable medical complications and death”.
The minister said that several pockets of studies and surveys in Nigeria put the prevalence of hypertension in excess of 30 percent.
“According to the 2019 WHO NCD Country Profiles, NCDs accounted for 29 percent of all deaths in the country with cardiovascular disease, predominantly hypertension, responsible for 11 percent of all the NCD deaths.
“Premature mortality due to NCDs is 22 percent. The premature mortality due to NCDs is defined as the probability of dying between ages 30 and 70 years from the main NCDs,” he added.
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He, however, observed that over the years, the Federal Government had instituted several strategic interventions at the Tertiary, Secondary and Primary Health Care levels with the targets of screening at least 80 percent of eligible population.
It also aimed to place 80 percent of people with hypertension on standard treatment and care and ensure that 80 percent of those on treatment have their blood pressure sustainably controlled to avert complication.
It would also contribute to achieving at least 25 percent relative reduction in unconditional probability of dying prematurely from cardiovascular diseases and other NCDs.
Pate, however, said that the Federal Government was working with WHO, Nigerian Heart Foundation and other partners to reduce the burden of hypertension and other Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the country.
NAN
