- Why many die suddenly without visible signs of illness
- Hardship making more Nigerians hypertensive, exodus of doctors abroad affecting healthcare – Medical experts
- Doctors blame religious leaders for deceiving members, putting them at risk of untimely death
Indications have emerged that more Nigerians are dying suddenly even as experts have raised the alarm that hypertension remains the major cause of sudden deaths in the country.
The sudden deaths recorded in Nigeria in the last few days have caused panic among Nigerians and highlighted the need for citizens to prioritise their well-being.
For some medical doctors, the economic hardship in the country is further pushing Nigerians into hypertension, resulting in cardiac arrest deaths.
They also blamed the health hazard to irregular medical check-ups by citizens, adding that the mass exodus of medical practitioners abroad is partly affecting treatments of cardiac arrest.
Jones Oladeinde Arogbofa, a retired Brigadier General in the Nigerian Army who served as the Chief of Staff to former President Goodluck Jonathan, died in Abuja on Saturday morning.
Also, on November 18, 2023, a former military governor of old Ondo State, Major General Ekundayo Babakayode Opaleye (rtd), died in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, of heart attack.
In a shocking development, no fewer than five Nigerians reportedly died while watching the penalty shoot-outs between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Bafana Bafana of South Africa during the semifinal match at the Africa Cup of Nations in Bouaké, on Wednesday.
Those who died included a stalwart of the All Progressives Congress, Dr Cairo Ojougboh; the Kwara State University Deputy Bursar, Ayuba Abdullahi; a sales representatives, Mikhail Osundiji; a serving National Youth Service Corps member, identified simply as Samuel and an Anambra-born businessman based in Cote d’Ivoire, Osondu Nwoye,
Medical doctors, who spoke with The Point, said many Nigerians are suffering from heart diseases but are not giving it proper medical attention.
They revealed that some Nigerians spiritualize their health conditions, forgetting that God gave those who produced drugs to cure ailments to do.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association in Osun State, Dr. Adedapo Omowonuola Adetoye, identified underlying heart diseases, hypertension, and irregular medical check-up and anxiety disorders as causes of sudden deaths.
Adetoye said, “Most of those who died recently might have died of underlying heart diseases that were identified and not properly managed or were not identified as at the time the cardiac arrest arose.”
For the doctor, “These sudden deaths are happening because, one, in our own part of the world, we don’t plan for our health, we hinge everything on the government. Even when the government provides these public health facilities coupled with other private health centres, do people visit them for checkup?
“Even you (reporter) that is speaking with me, how many times do you visit hospitals in a year to check yourself? Do Nigerians even visit these health facilities to tell doctors to check their blood pressure, heart conditions, and other vital parts of their body?”
“Most people don’t even know that they are hypertensive. And they are, no matter how much they deny it.”
While blaming some religious leaders who discourage their worshippers from seeking medical treatments whenever they are sick, Adetoye asked them to desist from deceiving their members and putting them at the risk of untimely deaths.
“I think we should also enlighten our religious leaders that not everything is spiritual. They should stop deceiving the people. I am also a pastor. So, they should stop deceiving the people.”
According to Adetoye, “Religiosity is also a problem in our environment. Even somebody who has been diagnosed with hypertension will deny it and say that is not my portion, that it is the portion of the doctor.
“But, one thing people don’t know is that when these things go on unabated and nobody does anything about them that will later result in sudden deaths.
“Also, when they are exposed to light or heavy exertion, if the fellow now exercises, like what happened during the last football match when Nigeria played South Africa, you know everybody was anxious then, getting out of their seats and doing all those panic things, or when you have sex, or you do some other exercises, the blood supply to the heart will be reduced for the adults because the heart supplies blood to itself when it is relaxing.
“So, when your heart rate goes so high, you know it will not relax enough for it to supply blood for itself and where the blood does not get to the heart, oxygen will not get there also. You will see such areas going bad and when that place goes bad, they will start malfunctioning, so, they lead to arrhythmias and when that happens, that heart will soon stop. And most of the times when these things happen, those who are around them, they don’t do the right thing.
“They call something basic life-support; if somebody falls here now, what people believe is pouring water on the person and raising the head and that is wrong. It is because enough blood did not get to the brain that is why he fell.”
“I think we should also enlighten our religious leaders that not everything is spiritual. They should stop deceiving the people. I am also a pastor. So, they should stop deceiving the people.
“If anybody is sick, let the fellow go to the hospital. Drugs do not stop God from working. The fact that somebody is taking anti-hypertensive drugs or anti-diabetes does not stop God from working. The fact that somebody is in the hospital ward does not prevent God from doing a miracle.
So, let them do what is physically possible and then allow God to do his own, they should stop obstructing God. With that, we can prolong life.
“People will eventually die but we can assist them with ways that their life can be prolonged. We can come up with preventive measures or curative measures. Or when they now suffer the heart attacks, if the people around know what to do and we will assist them and so many of them will not die,” the Head of the Department of Anesthetic Care at the Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital, said.
Another medical expert, Dr. Olufemi Oyediran identified economic downturn and inability to meet up with daily obligations as some of the reasons.
Oyediran said, “Cardiac arrest is common among most of the adults and most of these people have underline adult pressure. A condition in which fatty tissue gets attached to the blood vessels that supply the hearts, thereby preventing blood supply to the heart; when that happens, it can cause cardiac arrest. It happens when there are insufficient blood supplies to the heart. And most of them have underline problems.
“Most of the people with cardiac arrest are a bit overweight. They have many more fats than usual and they also have underline high blood pressure.”
The Head of the Nursing Department of OAUTHC stated, “The truth is that now, most Nigerians have tendencies to be hypertensive because of the economic challenges we are passing through. To feed has become a problem now for the majority of Nigerians, to meet daily obligations has become a problem and all these things accumulate and they have the possibility of leading to hypertension.
“Also, bad news, anxiety and worry can lead to cardiac arrest.
“To make matters worse, the medical experts that should cater for this are leaving the country. Those who are trained to provide medical care to these patients and resuscitate them when they collapse are exiting the country on a daily basis and that complicates the issue,” he said.
Another medical practitioner, Hart Nwachukwu, sympathized with the families of those who lost their lives due to heart-related conditions.
He, however, argued that some of the deaths could have been avoided.
Nwachukwu also said that Nigerians don’t take their health seriously and agreed that the right information can help save many lives.
He said, “It is unfortunate that some Nigerians lost their lives due to the sudden heart attacks they tragically experienced when the Super Eagles were playing.
“Mind you, many other Nigerians who did not watch the Eagles playing have also lost their lives to this silent killer.
“So, I extend my sympathy and condolences to the families of all those who died and pray that God gives them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
“Though it is late now, some of those deaths could have been avoided. Unfortunately, Nigerians don’t take their health seriously and access to the right information would have helped save many lives.
“Now to the issues at stake, scientifically, when it comes to heart attacks, a Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is usually responsible for it most of the time.
“For your information, too, unwholesome lifestyles like smoking and heavy drinking can cause CHD.
“And apart from smoking, hypertension, which is when you have a high blood pressure, can also lead to CHD which causes heart attacks. Diabetes, high cholesterol levels and obesity are some of the others.
“Now, my advice is this: many Nigerians are diabetic or even hypertensive but don’t know this. That is why I always recommend that everyone, especially those above 30 years old, go for regular medical checkups. You never know what might be revealed.
“And then for those who know they are hypertensive, for goodness sake, run away from football matches that will make your hearts pump rapidly and uncontrollably.
“Lest I forget, it is not only live sporting events that put you at risk. Other activities, like intercourse and use of sex stimulants or enhancement drugs, make you exert so much energy. They must be a no-no.
“One other thing, even if you don’t know that you are, for instance, hypertensive but you have noticed that whenever you do some exercises like jogging, walking or climbing a staircase and you feel some pains in your chest, that could be a telltale sign of an impending heart attack.
“Those of us who also notice that our chests are “tight” and we feel pains in our arms or necks, might be playing with a heart attack. Go and have yourselves examined by a medical professional.”
Moreover, Nwachukwu said he had also heard some people asking why the rich were also dying of heart attacks.
He said even if anyone were rich, the hardship would still affect him or her one way or the other.
“Even if you are rich, how can you have peace of mind when your cousins, uncles, aunts and village people and even gatemen are suffering?
“One way or the other, those challenges will also affect those rich folks. They cannot escape it,” Nwachukwu said.
In September 2023, the Federal Government lamented the rising number of deaths from cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension, cardiac arrest, stroke, heart failure, and others in the country.
Speaking during an event to commemorate the 2023 World Heart Day, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, who was represented by the Minister of State for Health, Tunji Alausa, noted that the morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular diseases in the country were underestimated as a result of inadequate awareness, limited screening, and poor data repository.
He stated, “Of these cardiovascular deaths, 85 per cent are due to heart attack and stroke, and over three-quarters occur in low- and middle-income countries.
“The 2018 WHO non-communicable diseases country profiles show that the NCDs accounted for 29 per cent of all deaths in Nigeria with cardiovascular diseases responsible for 11 per cent of all the NCD deaths.
“The country profile also shows that the risk of dying prematurely from NCDs in Nigeria is 22 per cent. Premature mortality in this instance is defined as death occurring between ages 30 and 70 years from any of the common NCDs.”
An internal medicine expert, Dr. Olusina Ajidahun, explained some of the possible causes of deaths among people who did not show any sign of physical illness.
He stated, “I would hypothesize that hypertension might be tops. A lot of young people don’t know their blood pressure. High blood pressure is a silent killer and it will just continue till when one has a heart attack one day. Not everyone makes it from a heart attack (most don’t). I would also like to add that stroke still borders on hypertension.
“As blood pressure rises, pressure in blood vessels in the brain goes up with all the stress young people undergo. It triggers the risk of high blood pressure, which bursts blood vessels and can cause a stroke and sometimes death.
“Another probable cause is hard drugs. There has been an increase in the use of hard drugs and this has been worsened by social media, popular celebrities, and music videos. Some people have been known to overdose on these drugs, which can kill.”
Ajidahun added that heart attack was another probable cause of sudden death, noting that it causes occasional chest pain in people.
He said, “A lot of people experience occasional chest pain and they just think it is just stress. I’d advise that chest pain should not be ignored; you need to go to a hospital because it can happen when the blood vessels of the heart are blocked.
“There is a condition called Arrhythmia, which means the heart rhythm isn’t as normal as it should be. A lot of things can cause these abnormal heart rhythms from hypertension, hormonal problems, and alcohol. An electrocardiogram can detect this most times. Arrhythmia is a big cause of sudden death.
“Some people are born with abnormal heart conditions and if they are not detected, they can be dangerous. That is why I always advise that if you’re planning to enroll in a gym, get a blood pressure check and at least an ECG.
“These conditions are all silent and won’t show until there is a big problem. However, they can be picked by a clinic visit and routine test. If more people will take and invest more in their health, I’m sure we will be able to reduce these deaths.”
A senior registrar in Internal Medicine at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Dr. Ayotomiwa Fagbemi, noted that sudden death was more common in the elderly but could occur in the young.
He stated, “The causes of death can be divided into cardiac causes, non-cardiac causes, and unidentifiable causes. Cardiac diseases, i.e. diseases that affect the heart, account for more sudden deaths, while some non-cardiac causes have been diagnosed, sometimes, the causes are unidentifiable.
“Cardiac diseases like myocarditis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and conduction system abnormalities, and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease are major causes of death.
“Among non-cardiac causes of sudden death are intracranial hemorrhage infectious diseases. Chest pain, headaches, and dizziness are some presenting complaints.
“CVDs are silent diseases and as such, they can only be detected when there is routine medical testing. There is a need for primary healthcare in the country to be strengthened, and medical facilities provided. People should check their blood pressure regularly.
“Dietary strategies should be encouraged to lower blood pressure. It is recommended that people consume more fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products, and limit their intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets, and cut back on foods high in cholesterol, trans fats, and saturated fats.”
A chemical pathologist and telehealth researcher, John Reuben, pointed out that sudden deaths could be coronary-related or involve other organs of the body.
“Even if you are rich, how can you have peace of mind when your cousins, uncles, aunts and village people and even gatemen are suffering?”
He added that autopsies were often avoided because of the exorbitant costs involved, as well as cultural and religious beliefs.
He explained, “Sudden deaths are prevalent nowadays and the most likely causes are cardiac-related, like cardiac arrest or other cardiovascular diseases. We can’t exempt lifestyles such as diet, consumption of excessive unsaturated fats, lack of exercise, excessive alcohol and smoking, and genetic factors.
“Many Nigerians avoid autopsy because of poverty. It has been estimated that over 80 million Nigerians live below the poverty line and the cost of autopsy can range between N50, 000 and N350, 000 in private clinics. With the amount involved and what an average Nigerian earns, it’s enough to deter them from resorting to an autopsy to find out the cause of death.
“Culturally, we tend to channel more resources into funerals, which could range between N1 million and N2 million, so most times the family of the deceased will be looking for a way to source the funds for the funeral of their loved ones and you wouldn’t expect them to want to take out N80, 000 to find out the cause of death.
“We also have a lack of keeping records and poor research, unlike other climes where these things are very important for medical and research organisations to mitigate further occurrences and sensitise people.”
Meanwhile, worried by cardiac arrest deaths in the country, Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, has started training both its clinical and non-clinical staff on how to battle the menace.
The hospital said it has trained its workers on how to perform Cardio- Pulmonary Resuscitation to victims of cardiac arrest in their environments.
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Peter Babatunde Olaitan made this known to The Point.
He admonished people to seek more knowledge on how to apply Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation which he said would help to save lives whenever there is a case of cardiac arrest in their various environments.
The CMD also said it is the responsibility of everybody irrespective of their profession to be able to perform basic Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation to save life.
According to Olaitan, the management decided to organise the workshop so that people will know what to do as first aid when someone collapses and stops breathing before the arrival of medical practitioners.
Aside from the practical demonstrations done to the staff, the CMD encouraged the staff to be conversant with the procedure and can learn more about this on the internet, especially YouTube.
The Head of Department of Anesthesia in the hospital, Dr. Yomi Adeniran explained the importance and benefits of CPR.
He said unexpected cardiac arrest remains a major cause of sudden death and early recognition, prompt and appropriate actions improve survival, citing many examples of patients who have benefitted from such intervention when carried out promptly.
