Dietary lifestyle, obesity responsible for rising hypertension, says NHS president By Janet Ogundepo

The President of the Nigerian Hypertension Society, Prof. Simeon Isezuo, has identified changes in the dietary lifestyle of Nigerians and reduced engagement in physical activities as major factors responsible for rising cases of hypertension in the country.

He stated that one in three adults and one in two Nigerian adults aged 60 and above have Hypertension.

In an exclusive interview with PUNCH Healthwise, the don noted that although the rise in the prices of drugs puts hypertensive patients at risk of being unable to buy their medications, leading to further complications, the rise in food prices could not cause hypertension.

PUNCH Healthwise earlier reported that the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, had decried the rising prevalence of hypertension at the recently concluded 24th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the NHS in Lagos.

At the conference themed, “Managing Hypertension in a Depressed Economy” with “Hypertension in Children” as a subtheme, Abayomi described the situation as alarming, noting that it continues to cause morbidity, mortality and economic impact among the population.

He expressed concern over the statistics that a 30 per cent rate of Nigerian adults have hypertension, stating that lifestyle change was responsible for the prevalence.

According to the World Health Organisation, hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is when the blood vessels are too high and read 140/90 mmHg or higher when checked with a blood pressure cuff (sphygmomanometer).

The WHO further notes that hypertension is common but about 46 per cent of adults with it are unaware that they have the condition.

It adds that about 1.28 billion adults aged 30-79 years have hypertension with most of them living in low-and-middle income countries.

The agency notes that ageing, genetics, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, high salt intake and excessive alcohol consumption increased the risk of HBP.

Speaking further on the issue the NHS president asserted that there is a rising burden of hypertension in Nigeria, noting that one in three adults has hypertension.

He stated that while genetic predisposition is primarily responsible for hypertension, lifestyle changes, particularly the increased intake of salt, are significant contributing factors.

“What is primarily responsible for hypertension is in the genes, the building blocks of every human being, and this we cannot change and has not changed. What has changed is the second component, our lifestyle, and prominent among this is increased salt intake. Salt is an important factor in the development of hypertension in Africans. There are many factors accounting for increased salt intake. One, we have moved away from traditional African food to Western food that is rich in salt.

“The second factor that has led to increased salt intake, is that people eat more outside than at home, and most people that cook outside are likely to put one form of salt or the other to make the food tasty. Lastly, we are taking more foods preserved with salt,” the NHS president said.

Isezuo noted that the increase in sedentary lifestyles, leading to reduced physical activity, weight gain and obesity has further contributed to the rise of hypertension burden in Nigeria.

The don said, “Decreased physical activity or what we call sedentary lifestyle has increased and added to this is increased consumption of western diet that is rich in salt, sugar and fat. The consequence of this is an increase in weight and ultimately obesity.

“Obesity is an important driving factor for the rising prevalence of hypertension in Nigeria. The major drivers are thus increased salt intake, sedentary lifestyle, decreased physical activity and obesity.”

He further stated that other factors including ageing, cigarette smoking, excess alcohol consumption and urbanisation are important risk factors for hypertension.

The NHS President observed that one in two Nigerians aged 60 years and above have hypertension.

He nonetheless added that the increased awareness of hypertension and access to health facilities and blood pressure machines for medical check-ups also partly contributed to the rise in recorded cases of hypertension in Nigeria.

In response to further inquiry, he asserted that the rising cost of food is not a direct predisposing factor to hypertension.

The Professor of Internal Medicine and Cardiologist further noted that the rising cost of drugs has caused many people with hypertension to be unable to buy their medicines and adhere to treatment, thus further potentially predisposing them to the complications of hypertension.

Isezuo corrected the misconception that stress or too much thinking is a major cause of hypertension.

He however counselled against sustained stress as this may tip those who already have existing predisposing factors to develop hypertension or make blood pressure control difficult in hypertensive patients.

Continuing, the don noted, “Hypertension is almost equally distributed in both men and women with no significant gender difference. Hypertension also does occur though to a far less extent in children and adolescents.”

He noted that the burden of Hypertension in these age groups is also rising largely because of the rising prevalence of obesity among other factors.

In order to reduce the burden of hypertension, Isezuo recommends the promotion of traditional African food that is largely derived from plants and low in salt, sugar and fats.

“If you must take a Western diet, avoid food that contains excess salt. We should also avoid putting additional salt on already-cooked food.

“Of course, another solution is to increase our physical activity. We advocate brisk walks for 30 minutes every day. We should get to do things physically by ourselves as long as we have the strength, rather than leaving them to house help,” he said.

The NHS president encouraged individuals with hypertension not to despair as the condition is treatable by taking medications regularly, adopting the recommended lifestyle modifications and regular blood pressure checks.

He said the NHS works closely with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to ensure a Nigeria where hypertension is not a silent killer, and people with hypertension live their normal lives by having their blood pressure constantly under control.

SOURCE: Punch Healthwise