Mrs Rotkang Okunlola, a chief Pharmacist with the Dilimi Pharmacy in Jos, on Thursday urged Nigerians to avoid behaviours that could lead to their silent deaths.
She told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Jos, that High Blood Pressure (HBP) is the silent killer because it usually presented no early symptoms to people.
Okunlola said that the ailment remains a major cause of death because most people do not know they are hypertensive.
“Hypertension, which is also known as high blood pressure (HBP), occurs when the force of blood pumping through the blood vessel is higher than it should be.
“It affects one in every three adults; the unfortunate thing about it is that, if it is not detected early, or if left untreated, it can cause a heart attack, stroke or death.”
She said that blood pressure was measured in two numbers.
“The higher number which is called “Systolic pressure”, refers to the force of blood that is pushing against the blood vessels walls, when the heart beats.
“The lower number, which is called the “Diastolic blood pressure”, refers to the pressure in the blood vessels between heart beats, when the heart is at rest.
“When an individual’s systolic pressure is 80 to 120, this means the individual’s blood pressure is normal.
“If the systolic pressure is 120-139, the individual is said to be pre-hypertensive; however, if the individual’s pressure is higher than 140, the individual is said to be hypertensive,” she said.
Okunlola said that smoking, high alcohol intake, stress, anxiety, consumption of diet high in salt and fat, lack of or inadequate exercise and consumption of processed food, increased the risk of hypertension.
“Excessive alcohol intake can raise the blood pressure; smoking increases the chance of a heart attack or stroke.
“People should reduce their salt intake because salt makes the body to retain more fluid which makes the heart work harder.”
She said that hypertension had no cure, adding that “it can be managed by the use of drugs, to control the blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.”
The pharmacist advised people to check their blood pressure regularly to avoid strokes, heart attacks or even death.
She also encouraged people to eat healthy and drink enough water daily.
“People should eat more of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, poultry and fish and less of processed and refined food.
“Alcohol should be taken in limited quantity and smoking should be avoided,” Okunlola said. (NAN)