HEALTH & FITNESS…

HEALTH MEDICS!

HYPERTENSION AND DIABETES ON THE INCREASE

By: Dr. Niyi Osamiliyu

Have you been recently diagnosed of Hypertension or Diabetes or have you had either of the conditions for a while?

I am Dr. Niyi Osamiluyi, the Founder and CEO of Premier Medical Systems (PMS), a digital health social enterprise with a focus on leveraging information technology to increase access of the under-served to health care in Africa. With close to 10,000 doctors, DokiLink (dokilink.com), owned by PMS, is the largest professional network of doctors in Nigeria. I will be your host to discuss this topic and other health issues with you on this platform.

In recent years, non-communicable conditions like, Hypertension or Diabetes have become an increasing problem in Nigeria while health services have focused mainly on treating infectious diseases, such as malaria and tuberculosis. Hypertension, for example, is responsible for an estimated 45% of deaths due to heart disease and 51% of deaths due to stroke globally.

I tell people that they are now so common that, if you go to the market and talk to 10 people, it is likely that 7 out of them will either have the condition or have a close relative affected by it.

The increase may be as a result of a combination of factors:

- Environmental factors such as exposure to noise, pollutants from industries, generators and numerous vehicles exhuming hazardous gas to the air, contribute in no small measure to this cause.

- Feeding habits are also a problem. People now consume less of vegetables and fresh foods and eat more of fried foods and carbohydrates, without regular exercise to burn the fats which are also toxic to the body.

- We also now sleep less, either due to work or night life. All these combine to lead to increased levels of stress.

Are you using your drugs regularly?

Hypertension and Diabetes presently have no cure. They can, however, be controlled. These would involve lifestyle modifications- regular exercise, less salt in food, avoiding sugar and sugary drinks, smoking and alcohol intake, etc. If necessary, your doctor would prescribe drugs for you. A lot of people are deceived into parting with money on the premise that supplements or drugs can cure the conditions. Beyond losing the money, their health often deteriorates. It is important to avoid such people and rather donate that money to charity than waste it.

I have seen a number of patients who had their blood pressure and blood sugar under control only to come back a few months later with complications because they had been using “miracle” drugs/ supplements that promised cure.

What can happen if you don’t use your drugs?

Hypertension and Diabetes are both systemic diseases. They cause complications which can affect several organs in the body.

- Hypertension and diabetes affect the kidney and patients can come down with kidney failure.

- They also both affect the eyes and can lead to loss of vision.

- Hypertension can affect the brain and lead to stroke.

- It can also cause what is commonly called heart attack.

- Diabetes can result in lower limb amputation.

- In males, diabetes can lead to erectile dysfunction.

Conclusion:

Hypertension and Diabetes are not death sentences. It is always cheaper to manage them rather than go through a quack process that will degenerate into a complicated stat.

In the next edition, we will take a few steps back and look at the symptoms of Diabetes under the topic: “Suffering In The Midst Of Plenty”. This, it is believed, will give an early warning signal to a victim or family member and call for precaution.

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