A university lecturer and an expert in stroke management, Professor Arthur Onwuchekwa, has attributed the increasing cases of hypertension and stroke in the country to the lifestyle of some Nigerians.
Onwuchekwa said that though, the cause of hypertension is preventable, but that such lifestyle has made stroke difficult to conquer.
The expert, who is a lecturer in the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Clinical Science, University of Port Harcourt, made these known in a lecture he delivered at the 135th Inaugural Lecture of the university. The lecture was titled, ‘Stroke: A Preventable Disaster Waiting to Happen.’
He identified excessive alcohol intake, too much consumption of salt and poor diet as some of the reasons why people suffered stroke, even as he expressed the need for a healthy life style, including regular exercise among Nigerians.
“The prevalence of stroke is high in Nigeria and no age race or class is speared. There are medical conditions that can be controlled in order to reduce stroke.
“Hypertension is the commonest cause of stroke. If we reduce hypertension by 10 percent, the mass effect in reduction of stroke will be gladdening.
“Some kind of lifestyle like excessive intake of salt and alcohol can cause hypertension. Salt and alcohol damage the blood vessels and cell.
“If you don’t engage in physical exercise, it is also dangerous. Even poor diet can lead to stroke. If somebody does not control his diabetes he would be prone to stroke.” [myad]
