Group decries prevalence of cardio-vascular diseases in Nigeria

On Sep 30, 2023

The Nigerian Cardiac Society has decried the prevalence of cardio-vascular diseases in Nigeria, thereby urging stakeholders in health sector to collectively unleash the power of knowledge to stop cardio-vascular diseases (CVDs) among Nigerians. The President of the society, Prof. Augustine Odili, made the appeal in a statement on Friday in Ibadan commemorating the World Heart Day.

Odili noted that available data shows over 20.5 million people die of heart-related diseases yearly. He added that more than 75 per cent of the deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries.

CVDs are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels. These include coronary heart disease, heart failure, kidney disease, strokes, peripheral artery disease, rheumatic heart disease, and other conditions.

“The risk factors for cardio-vascular diseases are entrenched in a tripod of genetics, environment, and lifestyle.The rising prevalence of cardio-vascular diseases, especially in developing countries like Nigeria, is becoming alarming. And this is not unconnected to rapid urbanisation, increase in air pollution, and lifestyle issues. The risk factors for heart diseases are many. The most common, and by far the important ones, are related to lifestyles such as lack of physical exercise. Others are smoking tobacco, consuming alcohol, taking unhealthy diets rich in salt and saturated fats but low in fresh fruits and vegetables,” Odili said.

He added that effective blood pressure control was a major panacea for reducing the cardio-vascular risk of affected people.

“Making the right decisions will lead to healthy life and prevent premature deaths from stroke and heart disease. This year’s campaign focuses on the essential step of knowing our hearts first, because we only love and protect what we know. The more we know our hearts, the better we can take care of it. We aim to break the barriers and empower individuals with the requisite knowledge to take control of their well-being. Beating cardio-vascular disease (CVD) is something that matters to every beating heart. In line with this, the Nigerian Cardiac Society calls on all and sundry to unanimously unleash the power of knowledge to stop the world’s biggest killer, CVD,” the Society President said.

NAN/Wumi