You might be hypertensive without knowing it. This is certainly true as data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that 46 percent of adults with hypertension walk about with the sickness without knowing it. This means that nine of 20 people who have this disease have no idea that they have it.
Studies have shown that 15 percent of these people are at greater risk of night attacks which might lead to disastrous consequences.
The situation is more critical as only 42 percent of the hypertensive cases have been diagnosed and only one in five of them has it under control.
Due to its gravity, the WHO has rated hypertension as a major cause of deaths worldwide. At least 1.28 billion of those between 30 and 70 years globally have hypertension. This places it at 50.59 percent of those within this age bracket.
Data have it that two-thirds of the hypertensive population are found in the low- and middle-income countries, of which Nigeria is one.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition that increases the pressure in the blood vessels. Blood is circulated around the body through the vessels from each heart beat. The pressure is created when the force of the blood pushes against the blood vessels as it is pumped by the heart. The higher the pressure, the harder the heart has to pump.
Hypertension has resulted in the death of at least one in four men and one in five women in those having the condition.
Though there is no estimated number of hypertensive cases in Nigeria, a research carried out in 2021 showed a prevalence of 28.9 to 30.9 percent among adults 20 to 60 years already diagnosed with the disease. The study further showed 30.6 percent prevalence in urban areas than rural areas with 26.4 percent prevalence.
It is more among the men with 48.9 percent diagnosed against 47.3 percent of the women.
A medical practitioner, Dr Jeffrey Ajoko, said hypertension had been nicknamed “the silent killer” for a reason as it just crept without any warning.
“When signs appear, most times, it means it has been present for a long time as a lot of hypertensives just measured their BP one day and discovered it was high,” Dr Ajoko said.
Dr Ajoko said a lot of times, hypertension was caused by narrowing of blood vessels due to fat or cholesterol deposits lining the blood vessels. “They make the blood vessels narrower and rigid. When a tube is narrower, it tends to push fluid with more force,” he explained.
The medical practitioner said trivial headaches were one of the prominent symptoms of a brewing hypertension which could lead to stroke. He said though hypertension mostly occured in older people, the young ones were also susceptible to it.
Talking on the risk factors for hypertension, another medical practitioner, Dr Doofan Modi, said there were often modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. “So even though lifestyle changes play a major role, there’s the genetic factor at play in hypertension and even the sex factor,” she said.
Thus, to attain one of the global targets of reducing noncommunicable diseases, of which hypertension is one, by 33 percent between 2010 and 2030, Dr Modi recommended a healthy lifestyle. Lifestyle changes aim at reducing those modifiable risks – like obesity, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, alcohol, poor diet and the like.
“So the lifestyle changes to adopt to prevent hypertension would be to exercise, eat healthy. It is important to cut down on fats, salt intake, quit smoking, cut down on alcohol and consume only the limit the body can handle which is about 14 units per week spread across at least four days,” Dr Modi advised.
To avoid sudden surprises, Dr Modi recommended regular check ups as even those with family history could get ahead of it if detected early.