Dr Jide Owolana, the Chief Medical Director, Living Standard Hospital in Benin, Edo, says hypertension can lead to death, if untreated.
Owolana made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Thursday.
Hypertension, also known as High Blood Pressure (HBP), is a condition in which the force of the blood against the artery walls is too high.
Owolana noted that hypertension had no signs and symptoms, saying that if untreated when noticed, could cause heart disease, stroke and eventually death.
The physician said that over 1.5 million people deal with hypertension in Nigeria, pointing out that the condition could be inherited.
He said that the major treatment for hypertension was taking drugs prescribed by a qualified physician, after a laboratory test had been conducted to know the actual problem.
Owolana, however, cautioned against self-medication, saying that some people took wrong drugs to cure the sickness.
He said that some of the causes of hypertension include: aging, lifestyle, weight, diet, lack of exercise and excessive salt intake.
The physician said that some other causes of hypertension were smoking, stress, sleep apnoea, genetics, excessive intake of alcohol and obesity.
Owolana said that normal blood pressure should be less than 120 over 80 (120/80), saying that the top number was called systolic and the bottom, diastolic.
(NAN)