Hypertension : Commonest Cardiovascular Disorder

Adimekwe, a Resident Cardiologist in the Department of Internal Medicine, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

According to him, there is an urgent need to promote public awareness of hypertension and to encourage the public to prevent and control this `silent-killer’.

The World Hypertension Day (WHD) is commemorated on May 17, every year.

The theme for the 2013 event is “Healthy Heart Beat – Healthy Blood Pressure’’.

According to the cardiologist, hypertension is an increase in blood pressure to a level that can damage body organs. It is commonly known as High Blood Pressure.

“Hypertension has to do with an increase in the level of blood pressure. It has to be high to such a level that it can damage body organs.

“In medicine, that level has been defined to be greater than or equal to 140/90mmHg of blood pressure, as measured using a sphygmomanometer, on a person’s arm. Hypertension usually has no symptoms.

“However, to diagnose hypertension, this raised blood pressure must be seen to be consistently raised at three consecutive measurements, taken at least one day apart from each other,“ he said.

Adimekwe noted that the prevalence rate of hypertension in the country was about 32.8 per cent.

“In Nigeria, a recent rural and semi-urban community-based study in Enugu State puts the prevalence of hypertension in Nigeria at a range between 32.8 per cent and 46.2 per cent.

“While a meta-analytical study published recently in the well-respected online PubMed publication (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23272273 ) estimates the nationwide prevalence to be between 8%- 46.4%,“ he said.









The cardiologist identified two major types of hypertension.

“There are two types of hypertension. There is the primary and the secondary hypertension. The Primary constitutes about 95 per cent of the cases, while the Secondary is about five per cent.

“Primary hypertension is largely genetic and hereditary; thus, it runs in families.

“However, the predisposing factors of hypertension include too much intake of salt, alcohol, absence of fruits and green vegetables in the diet, lack of exercise, living a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and many other factors.

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Parent Corner: Nutritional Tips For Parents.

Nutritional Tips For Parents.

There are some nutritional tips parents to follow aiming at rising up healthy and intelligent kids.

1.    Don’t develop kid with a sweet tooth.

The taste for sugar is acquired through eating sweeter and sweeter foods. It can also be lost, usually with some resistance, by gradually reducing the level of sweetness in foods and drinks. This means replacing sweetened drinks with fruit juice diluted half and half with water. Few children drink enough water. You can encourage your child to drink water by putting it on the table diluted juice for the second. Do not give sweets, sweetened foods, cola and other sweetened drinks as treats. Make sure you always have enough fresh appealing fruit for your children to nibble on at their discretion. Send them to school with fruit rather than money to buy sweets. When they are older and have pocket money they will buy sweets and get them at parties. But if sweets, sweetened drinks and foods are not part of their day to day diet they are unlikely to crave them or develop an addition.

2.    Develop good habit of eating vegetables.

Develop habit of eating vegetables, including raw ones, with each meal. The trick here is to find ways of preparing vegetables so that they taste good. Too many vegetables are cooked to dealth and taste bland. Raw organic carrots, peas, parsnip chips, and mashed nad jacket-baked potatoes are naturally quite sweet and favourites with children. Serving something raw with each meal, even if it is just a few leaves of watercress, grated red cabbage, tomato or carrot, develops the taste for salad foods.

3.    Introduce oily fish and seeds to your kid’s meal

As long as your kid is eating oily fish three times a week and a daily portion of seeds, they should be getting a good level of essential fats to help their brains dvelop and boost IQ.

4.    Supplementing Your children diet with Green world nutritional supplement.

Supplementing your child with green World multi-vitamin tablet, Zinc and calcium can prevent deficiencies relating to Vitamin A, D, zinc , calcium as well as alleviates signs and symptoms caused by vitamin deficiencies.

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Green World Children Care Package -A Healthy Child, A Healthy Future

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Six Ways To Guide Against Liver Diseases.

Prevent liver problems and reduce the severity of symptoms of liver diseases by following these guideline. Liver disease is often the result of years of unhealthy lifestyle practices.

1.  • Prevent liver diseases by abstaining from alcohol. Alcohol consumption and abuse overtime may lead to cirrhosis.
   
2. • Read the labels of over-the-counter drugs and prescribed medications carefully. Certain prescribed drugs may actually cause liver damage or hepatic toxicity.
   
3. • Adopt good nutrition practices. While eating a well-balanced nutritional diet may not prevent liver diseases completely, dietary practices help to build the body’s immune system and prevent liver infections.
   
4. • Restrict intake of saturated fats, processed foods, and excess intake of tobacco and caffeine.
   
   
   
5. • Hepatitis can be prevented by engaging in safe sexual practices, avoiding use of non-sterile needles, and undergoing regular STI testing. Contact your physician for appropriate vaccinations.
   
6. • If you detect symptoms of liver diseases, undergo diagnostic liver enzyme tests.

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