Dr. Jimi Odutola
Heart disease or Cardiovascular disease is one of the top
ten causes of death in humans with an estimated 17.5 million deaths worldwide
according to the WHO.
This figure represents 31% of all global deaths.
8 million deaths are due to coronary heart disease and about
7 million are due to stroke.
Stroke is a very common phenomenon in our population in
Nigeria and it is increasing in incidence with no end in sight.
Most of the cardiovascular deaths take place in low income
third world countries.
Factors contributing
to these deaths include but are not limited to:
Smoking,
Abnormal diet
Overweight and Obesity
Sedentary lifestyle
Alcohol abuse
Hypertension
Inflammation
Diabetes
Hyperlipidemia
What are
cardiovascular diseases ?
They are diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels.
These include
1. Deep Vein
Thrombosis - affecting leg veins and can be complicated by Pulmonary
Embolism in which the blood clots dislodge and move to the heart and lungs.
2. Congenital Heart
Disease - malformations of heart structure existing at birth.
3. Rheuamtic Heart
Disease - Damage to the heart muscle and heart valves from Rheumatic Fever
caused by streptococcal bacteria.
4. Peripheral Heart
Disease - affecting blood vessels of the arms and legs
5. Cerebrovascular
Disease - affecting blood vessels of the brain
6. Coronary Heart
Disease - affecting blood vessels of the heart muscle.
Symptoms of
Cardiovascular Diseases
1. Pain or discomfort in the centre of the chest spreading
to the arms, left shoulder, elbows, jaw or back
2. Difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath
3. Feeling faint
4. Feeling sick or vomiting
5. Excessive sweating
6. Looking Pale
Symptoms of stroke
1. Sudden weakness of the face, arm or leg, most often on
one side of the body
2. Numbness of the face, arm or leg
3. Difficulty in seeing with one or both eyes
4. Difficulty in walking, dizziness, loss of balance or
coordination
5. Severe Headache
6. Fainting or Unconsciousness
Tips for preventing
heart disease
1. Cessation of tobacco use
2. Salt reduction in the diet
3. Consuming fruits and vegetables
4. Regular exercises to improve physical activity
5. Avoiding Alcohol use
6. Control of Hypertension
7. Control of Diabetes
8. Control of Hyperlipidemia
9. Weight reduction
10 .Minimize animal fat consumption
11. Minimize intake of foods such as baked foods, salty
snacks.
12.Nutritional supplements such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin
D, Vitamin B6,B12,B3,Coenzyme Q10
13. Manage stress.
Dr. Odutola is the Medical Director, El Shaddai Hospital &
Fertility Clinic, Orita Challenge Ibadan
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