Dr. Ayodele Obiageli

16/03/2025

Lagos, Nigeria’s bustling heartbeat, hides a deadly secret: hypertension is silently claiming lives every day. With over 30% of adults affected, the city’s fast pace—stressful commutes, salty street food, and little time for exercise—fuels this crisis. Doctors warn that unchecked high blood pressure is behind the rising strokes and heart attacks here.

The signs are subtle: a throbbing headache after a long day, tiredness that won’t quit, or blurry vision blamed on heat. Too many Lagosians shrug it off, but that’s a mistake. In a city where hospitals are overcrowded, prevention is key—less salt, more walks, and regular checks can turn the tide.

Nigerian cardiologists like Dr. Chinedu Okafor are sounding the alarm, using their expertise to save lives. Lagos can thrive again if we listen—our hearts deserve it! 💙

13/03/2025

Nigeria is facing a silent health crisis: hypertension is sweeping through the population, affecting millions, yet many don’t know they have it until complications strike. Experts estimate that over 30% of Nigerian adults live with high blood pressure, driven by factors like stress, poor diet, and limited access to healthcare in rural areas. It’s a ticking time bomb for the nation’s heart health.

The damage isn’t just to the heart—untreated hypertension strains kidneys, eyes, and brains, leading to strokes and kidney failure, which are on the rise. Symptoms like headaches or fatigue are often dismissed as normal in Nigeria’s fast-paced life, but they shouldn’t be. Awareness is critical in a country where healthcare resources are stretched thin.

Thankfully, Nigerian cardiologists like Dr. Chinedu Okafor are leading the charge with research and innovative care. Simple steps—cutting salt, staying active, and regular check-ups—can save lives. Let’s wake up to this crisis before it’s too late! 💪

13/03/2025

In Nigeria’s rural communities, heart health is in jeopardy, and hypertension is a major culprit. Far from urban hospitals, millions lack access to blood pressure checks or cardiologists, leaving conditions like diastolic dysfunction—a stiffening of the heart’s lower chambers—undetected until they turn acute. Poverty and limited education make it worse; many don’t know salt-heavy diets or inactivity are risks.

Take a farmer in Kano or a trader in Enugu: a headache or swollen legs might be blamed on hard work, not a failing heart. When emergencies strike, the nearest clinic might be hours away, understaffed, or out of meds. Nigeria’s urban-rural healthcare gap is stark—Lagos has specialists, but villages often don’t.

Hope lies in mobile clinics and community education. Small changes—less salt, more walking—could prevent disaster. Nigeria’s rural hearts deserve better—let’s bridge the gap!

12/03/2025

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) can be tricky to spot because its symptoms often mimic more common conditions like asthma. But if you’re experiencing persistent breathlessness—especially during activity—chest pain, dizziness when climbing stairs, or swollen ankles and legs, it’s time to pay attention. These aren’t just annoyances; they could signal something serious.

Other signs include fainting, extreme fatigue, a dry cough, or even fingers turning chalky white or blue in the cold. In advanced stages, even minimal effort can trigger irregular heartbeats, a racing pulse, or trouble breathing at rest. It’s a progressive condition that doesn’t mess around.

These don’t always mean PH—other issues could be at play—but they’re serious enough to warrant a doctor’s visit. Ask for a test like an echocardiogram; early detection could be a lifesaver when treatment options are so limited. Don’t wait—your health deserves answers! 🩺

12/03/2025

What is Pulmonary Hypertension?
This life-threatening disease has no cure beyond organ transplants.
It is estimated that 75 million people worldwide suffer from Pulmonary Hypertension (PH), however that could be higher in reality as PH is frequently miss- or undiagnosed.
According to Dr Gerald Maarman, from the Centre for Cardio-Metabolic Research in Africa at Stellenbosch University, the prevalence of PH in Africa can range from 10% to 68%.
Patients diagnosed with this condition face an extremely uncertain future as research into the condition is not only scarce, but it’s also not yet widely understood and recognised by most primary healthcare professionals.
It took over 18-months to correctly diagnose 17-year-old Jenna Lowe with rare and severe Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) more than a decade ago.
She tragically passed away in 2015, three months before her 21st birthday, after launching the successful social media campaign ‘Get Me to 21’, which highlighted the plight of PH patients and advocated for research improved care and organ donation.
Lowe’s mother, Gabi started The Jenna Lowe Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) clinic at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town shortly after her daughter’s death.
“We started the clinic in 2015 as a place of hope for patients and their families. Jenna’s heart-breaking journey with this cruel disease was made harder because we struggled to access the expertise and help she needed. It is her powerful legacy and wish that it shouldn’t be this way for other South Africans suffering with PH,” Lowe said in a statement to raise awareness about World Pulmonary Hypertension Day, which is marked on 5 May 2022.
ALSO READ: Measles cases soar by 400% in Africa, but no outbreak in SA yet, says expert
Pulmonary Hypertension explained
Pulmonary Hypertension Association of South Africa (PHA SA) explains that the disease affects the arteries of the lungs and that people affected with this disease suffer from continuous high blood pressure in the lungs which results in an enlargement of the heart, which can lead to heart failure.
There is no cure beyond organ transplants to treat PH; and many of the necessary medications and equipment to prolong and improve quality of life are too expensive and unavailable in South Africa.
Symptoms
Many of the symptoms of PH, which is marked by breathlessness are shared by other more common lung conditions, including asthma.
PHA SA lists the following as symptoms of this debilitating condition:
Breathlessness or shortness of breath, especially with activity
Chest pain, especially during physical activity
Dizziness/Light-headedness, especially when climbing stairs or standing up
Fainting
Swollen ankles, legs, or abdomen
Loss of energy/feeling tired all the time
Dry cough
Chalky white or dusky blue fingers that may be painful and can sometimes be provoked by the cold
In advanced stages of pulmonary hypertension, minimal activity may produce some or all of these symptoms. Patients in advanced stages may experience irregular heartbeat, a racing pulse, passing out and difficulty breathing at rest.
Sometimes these symptoms mean you have another condition, but sometimes, they may mean you have Pulmonary Hypertension, so ask your doctor for a test if you experience any of the above symptoms.
ALSO READ: Could singing help long Covid sufferers breathe easier?
Who is at risk of getting PH?
While people of all ages, races and ethnic backgrounds are diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension, certain risk factors can increase your likelihood of getting the disease. These include:
You are more likely to get PH if you have a family history of the disease.
Pregnancy could also put you at a higher risk of getting PH.
Living at a high altitude for years can make you more predisposed to PH.
Other diseases, including congenital heart disease, lung disease, liver disease and connective tissue disorders like scleroderma and lupus, can lead to the development of pulmonary hypertension.
Certain drugs, such as methamphetamines and the diet drug “fen phen,” are known to cause pulmonary hypertension.

12/03/2025

Hypertension a growing threat
According to a report released by the World Health Organisation, 970 million people suffer from hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, with 55% of adult South Africans suffering from the condition.
This figure is on the rise, with further studies conducted by the University of California showing there is a close link to elevated stress levels – particularly in the working environment – and the development of hypertension. The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, looked at data on 2400 men and women over a 20 year period. About 25% of these people developed high blood pressure.
For men, it was found that unemployment, job insecurity and inadequacy in their job performance were all linked to at least a 50% greater risk of high blood pressure. According to Graham Anderson, Principal Officer of Profmed, it is vitally important for people to regularly undergo blood pressure screenings, especially if they have genetic predispositions to the disease or are performing in stressful environments.
“Hypertension is a silent killer and often people live with it for years without treatment. Though the symptoms are not immediately visible, living with prolonged periods of hypertension can result in damage to the body, resulting in people developing other diseases which could leave them with a disability, a poor quality of life or even suffering a fatal heart attack or stroke,” explains Anderson.
These complications are as a result of the fact that hypertension can lead to the damage of the arteries, the heart, the brain, kidneys and eyes. If people do not undergo annual or more regular screenings, they often only realise they have been living with hypertension after suffering a stroke, aneurysm, heart attack or having to lose a limb as a result of narrowing of arteries.
Furthermore, Anderson says the increase in the compromising of immune systems among professionals is impacting not only on lower productivity in the workplace, but also increasing the levels of stress in the working environments, as healthier people have to work harder to compensate for their colleagues.

Medical & health