Abiodun Adeoye, a cardiologist at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State, has called on the federal government to conduct a national survey on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) to ascertain the number of people that have heart-related diseases.
This is coming as he raised the alarm over the increasing death ratio from cardiac arrest, hypertension, stroke and other CVDs in Nigeria.
Adeoye said the survey, would help the government reduce mortality rate of CVDs by 2025. According to him, “There is no national survey yet on CVDs, but pockets of studies from centres, especially in UCH, has shown that the number of people coming down with hypertension is increasing; the number of people coming down with cardiac inversion, which is heart attack, is increasing; people coming down with stroke is increasing; total number of death because of these three diseases is also increasing and there is a need to act and the time to act is now.”
The cardiologist who spoke during the Heart Walk organised by a non-governmental organisation, the Eagles’ Heart Foundation (EHF) in Ibadan, to mark the World Heart Day tagged: “Creating Heart-Healthy Environments” stated that the World Heart Federation (WHF) reported that about 17.3m people die yearly because of cardiovascular related diseases, adding that the body said the death ratio would increase to 30m people every year by 2030 if urgent and decisive steps were not taken to stem the tide.
Adeoye stressed the need for Nigeria to key into the major goal of the WHF, known as 25×25: Achieving a 25 percent relative reduction in overall mortality from CVDs, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory diseases by the year 2025.
This, he said, would help Nigerians reduce cardiovascular risks and promote a heart-healthy planet.
“The essence of this World Heart Day is to sensitise people on how to maintain their heart and heart-healthy environment. Don’t eat junk food. Eat vegetable, fruits and ensure that you avoid fatty foods. If you eat a lot of fatty food, it will clog the artery that supplies the brain and the heart and it can lead to heart attack and stroke.
“We also need to do regular physical exercise. This will help in toning your body, the heart too will be toned and you will be able to perform better. This is a clarion call to the government that if they are constructing roads, they should also make walkways; but not such where hit-and-run vehicles will knock anybody down. We need to walk to tone the heart.
Adeoye said “the heart is a muscle; you need to tone it so that it will work better. If you do physical exercise, you are not likely to be obese. Obesity is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke. When you exercise well, you are not likely to be obese. If you become obese, it is a risk that diabetes and hypertension will soon come.”
Many youths and adults participated in the heart walk, led by Ibukun Sowemimo, the executive director of EHF.
Sowemimo however said the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends at least 30 minutes of physical activities at least five times in a week, adding that the people that participated in the heart walk had more than 150 minutes of physical activities.
Remi Feyisipo
