'Hypertension is a silent killer' - experts call for fight against illness

The Managing Director, Neimeth International Pharmaceutical Plc, Emmanuel Ekunno, has said that available screening records indicate that one out of three adults in Nigeria suffer from hypertension.

Ekunno said this in Lagos on Wednesday, May 20, at the inauguration of the National Secretariat of Cardiovascular Support Club (CSC).

The CSC is a club of individuals supporting the fight against hypertension in Nigeria.

"In the statistics, one out of three adults in Nigeria suffers from hypertension.

"One out of the three Nigerians does not know he or she has it, while one out of the three is managing it.

"Many of the hypertensive patients cannot keep it below the standardised rate of 140/90, and this has become a problem in the society because the number of patients is on the increase.

"This suggests the intervention of professionals, doctors and well meaning Nigerians to come together in the fight against this sickness," he said.

"Some of the symptoms of this deadly sickness include obesity, frequent headaches and general weakness in the body.

"While factors that contribute to hypertension are mostly bad lifestyles adopted by many; this may include not exercising well, excessive salt intake, unrest, smoking and alcoholism," he said.

Ekunno said many people have hypertension without the knowledge of it as they may be going about living but dead inside.

"Some people may go about not knowing that they have high blood pressure, this is because it is silent in the body; it is a silent killer.

"So many are dead prior to any intervention because they are not aware that they have the sickness until they suffer heart attack,’’ he said.

According to Ekunno, there is the need to form a club that can mitigate the suffering of people by making the drugs affordable.