By Ojoma Akor
The number of young adults suffering from high blood pressure, also known as hypertension in Nigeria, is rising by the day, findings by Weekend Trust has revealed.
Often thought to be a disease of older adults or the elderly, studies have shown that younger adults within the ages of 18 to 45 years are increasingly coming down with high blood pressure in the country.
This has led to growing concerns, as some studies have shown that the prevalence rate of hypertension among young adults in Nigeria is as high as 21.3 per cent in some areas.
Also, some of those affected are students of secondary and tertiary institutions who have a hard time coping with the rising cost of medications.
Already in Nigeria, hypertension is a leading cause of death and illness among the elderly.
Experts say the risk of developing hypertensive cardiovascular complications is greater in younger than older individuals.
They said the presence of hypertension at a young age increased the risk of cardiovascular events at middle age. It contributes to an earlier onset of coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke and transient ischaemic attacks.
High blood pressure occurs when the force of blood flowing through your blood vessels is consistently too high.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), your blood pressure is high when you have consistent systolic readings of 140 mm Hg or higher, or diastolic readings of 90 mm Hg or higher.
Prof Augustine Odili, the president of the Nigerian Cardiac Society and chairman of the Africa Regional Advisory Group for the International Society of Hypertension, explained it thus: “Measurement of blood pressure is written in two values. The one written on top is the systolic and the one below is the diastolic. So if your systolic blood pressure is above 140 and the diastolic blood pressure is above 90, you are said to have hypertension.”
Most cases of hypertension are asymptomatic; that is why it has been dubbed the ‘silent killer’.
Patients speak
When Hassan, 23, fell ill last year, he least expected to get a diagnosis of high blood pressure. However, after tests and four-day admission, he has been on a daily dose of high blood pressure medicine since then.
He said he was extremely shocked, even though his mother was hypertensive.
“My mother was diagnosed in her 50s, so I thought I was too young to suffer from it. I always thought it was only people in their 50s and 60s and above that suffer from high blood pressure,” he said.
Hassan, who wants to be known only with his first name, said he had made some lifestyle changes, including trying to get some rest from his busy work schedule at an information and communication technology (ICT) firm.
He added that he disliked taking drugs, even occasionally, but now, he has to make extra efforts to take his pills daily.
Aderibigbe Bisi, 56, a mother of five, said she got the shock of her life when her 19-year-old son, an undergraduate, was diagnosed of high blood pressure.
She and her husband do not suffer from the condition, but some persons from her maternal family have it, although as older adults.
“He has been receiving treatment and hoping that it would get better with time and not be on a lifelong medication from this age.
“He is one of the best students in his school; and he is always studying. But his siblings that eat too don’t have the condition,” she added.
Mark Yakubu (not his real names), a 34-year-old journalist, has been on high blood pressure drugs for four years. He recalled that he was always having persistent headache in the mornings before he went to the hospital.
“I always thought it was the stress of my job,” he said. But when he finally went to the hospital after he fell very ill, his blood pressure read 180. He also had malaria then. He was admitted and had to take sometime off work to recover
He said he had been on high blood pressure drug since then.
Julia, 30, a stroke survivor, said she suffered the attack at the age of 28. Before then, each time she measured her blood pressure, it was always high. But no one placed her on drugs; and she also took it lightly.
She recalled that she was also having a lot of challenges and stress meeting up with her family’s needs as.
Then one night, she suddenly couldn’t move her body, so she was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with stroke. She spent over a month in the hospital before she was discharged.
Today, while she is better, she said if a doctor had placed her on medication earlier, she may not have developed stroke.
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