Cardiovascular disease is one of the many health problems that affect the circulatory system, consisting of the heart, arteries, veins, and capillaries. According to the World Health Organization, this disease claims an estimated one hundred and seventeen point nine million lives each year and has been discovered to be the leading cause of death globally.
Cardiovascular diseases consist of coronary heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, peripheral artery disease, pulmonary embolism, congenital heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. Coronary heart disease is a type of disease in which the heart arteries fail to supply the heart with adequate supply of oxygenated blood.
A pulmonary embolism is a blood clot from the leg that travels to the lung and stays there. This can cause problems with blood flow and oxygen stages in the lungs. Cerebrovascular diseases are divided into ischemic disease and hemorrhagic disease, and this subdivision of cerebrovascular diseases that develop suddenly and cause neurological damage is called stroke. About eighty five per cent of strokes are caused by insufficient blood flow to the brain. Rheumatic heart disease is a condition in which the heart valves have been permanently damaged by rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that can affect many connective tissues, especially in the heart.
The cardiovascular disease problem in Nigeria has been compounded by many factors including air pollution such as photochemical smog. This is caused by the interaction of sunlight with large amounts of uncontrolled-volatile organic compounds produced by burning fossil fuels.
These pollutants are emitted through motor vehicles, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, biomass and fossil fuel burning facilities. There are also several underlying determinants of cardiovascular disease, which include poverty, stress and genetic factors.
According to WHO, heart attacks and strokes are usually acute and are mainly caused by a blockage that prevents blood from flowing to the heart or brain. The most common reason for this is a build-up of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the blood vessels that supply the heart or brain. Bleeding from a blood vessel in the brain or from blood clots can also cause strokes.
Cardiovascular disorders are among the predominant causes of sudden, unexpected natural deaths in Nigeria, while hypertensive heart disease and intracerebral haemorrhage are the most prevalent individual causes. Hypertension-related disorders are mainly seen in people between forty and seventy years of age, while infectious disorders are common among people below forty years and above seventy years.
The majority of these deaths occur outside the hospital setting because most persons do not have access to primary healthcare for early detection because of economic hardship and high cost of medical care in most parts of the country . As a result, many people are often diagnosed late which in turn makes the situation more difficult to manage.
The risk of cardiovascular disease increases with age in both men and women and unfortunately this disease is expensive to treat, given that people do not have sufficient money for hospital bills and many end up managing their health inappropriately which often results in death. For this reason, it is important for more people to enroll into health insurance scheme to give them easy access to quality healthcare without suffering financial burden which will enable them manage challenging health issues. Health insurance will also encourage such patients to visit hospitals when crisis strikes instead of resorting to self medication.
Health insurance offers peace of mind to beneficiaries knowing that medically they are covered. It is also comforting to ill-health persons when they know that they have access to affordable care and health information to keep them healthy. This is why other States should emulate the Anambra State government example by
establishing health insurance schemes as part of measures to promote health indices of the country.
Again, people should be conscious of what they eat and drink. They should avoid junk food as much as possible and concentrate on organic food to reduce unnecessary pressure on their system. They should also shun excessive alcohol and tobacco intake as well as drugs that could compromise their system. A healthy society is a wealthy society.
Written by CLAIRE NWACHUKWU
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