Jan 26, 2018 | News
DOCTORS EXPLAIN WHY PEOPLE SLUMP AND DIE
Posted on June 25, 2016, by Encomium
How to manage Diabetes and Hypertension
Experts have revealed that for people to slump and die, two vital organs of the body must be involved which are the heart and brain. People are dying from treatable and manageable medical conditions such as malaria, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, hypertension and many more. These avoidable deaths are due to ignorance, deception, and misinformation.
‘Medically some things can cause someone to slump and die’ – Dr. ADERINWALE (Precise Medical Centre)
Medically, there are so many conditions that can cause people slumping and dying. Hypertension can cause it, cardiac failure can cause it, head trauma, homological condition like epilepsy, diabetes, hypoglasphemia, internal or external bleeding can cause it. There are so many other medical conditions that can cause such.
It can be prevented by regular medical checkup. The patient or person must make sure he/she takes the adequate medication as at when due, go for medical checkup generally and manage his or her health condition appropriately.
‘People should create time for medical check-up’ – DR CURTIS OGUAMALAM (Gynecologist)
There are lots of reasons why people slump and die. Let me go straight to the major ones.
Stress – The last time I checked, I realize people no longer give time for themselves. No time to rest, due to the nature of their jobs and other activities. You will see a lot of people waking up as early as 3 am for work, coming back late in the night. This is rampant in the country today. A lot of people don’t know how to manage the crisis. The situation on the road, activities at work, all these contribute to stress.
People know how to endure pains and headache. These are some of the things many people no longer pay attention to. By the time the whole issue piles up, it becomes what we call stress. When one is stressed without proper medical attention, it kills.
Another one is High Blood Pressure and poor diet. Eating foods that will nourish the body should be a habit not just eating anything.
There is what we call secondary and primary causes of death. The primary causes of death are those with possible reason why a person slumped. For instance, diabetes. If someone is diabetic, without proper care, there is possibility that the person would slump, thus, we can call this primary death.
The secondary one is cardiac arrest. A person might slump and if taken care of would survive but once a person slumps and the heart is gripped (cardiac arrest), it’s the end. A layman would say he slumped and died but cardiac arrest is totally different. It has no disease attached. Once it happens, it has no remedy.
I remember I was with one of my patients some time ago when she received a shocking news. Immediately, she started panting heavily. If I wasn’t there to rescue her, I wonder what that could have led to. There are lots of cases like that when we hear the death of someone without knowing the actual cause, a lot of people term it slumps and dies whereas some are cardiac arrest.
People should create time for medical check-up. Go to hospital, examine your body, let medical experts run a test on your body every time.
Stress is something that kills fast. We are all thinking of money and how to settle bills. In the process, the body is stressed. Also what we eat helps in fighting sickness. This is why I always tell people to inspect what they eat. No matter how little the food is, we should eat balanced diet. All these help the body against crisis.
‘Medical check-up is the way out’ – DR FUNSHO SHITTU (Expert)
The main reason why people slump and die is lack of medical check-up. Nigerians no longer create time for their health. Today, you will see people with all sorts of diseases that need medical attention, instead, they end up treating themselves locally with agbo (local herbs) and other concoctions forgetting the fact that medical check-up is the best way one can stay fit.
Hypertension. This is also one of the reasons why people slump. Hypertension is a fast killer. Your reaction towards every situation that comes your way stimulates hypertension. Though the country is in a harsh economic situation, a lot of people are upset, it damages their body system. This is why we hear cases of people slumping and dying. People need medical attention when depressed. Medical check-up is the way out and be crisis free.
-GLORY OSIGWE and OLUWAFEMI SOEWU
DOCTOR EXPLAIN WHY PEOPLE SLUMP AND DIE
Jan 26, 2018 | News
WHY PEOPLE SLUMP AND DIE
Experts have revealed that for anybody to slump and die, two vital organs of the body must be involved. These are the heart and the brain. The heart is a major organ that has to function optimally, and during intense physical activities, the heart works more, pumping blood adequately to support the brain. The brain is also what keeps people alive, but if it is deprived of blood supply for more than four minutes, a person can go unconscious and this could lead to death.
The tragedy of these calamities is that most people are not aware that they have hypertension and diabetes – the two conditions that predispose people to suffer stroke or heart attack and kidney diseases. It was, therefore, a shock when Funmilayo Femi, a 20-year old undergraduate fell ill and was diagnosed with hypertension. Funmilayo felt dizzy and had a consistent headache and so had to go to hospital. Her BP was 200/120.
,’Experts have revealed that for anybody to slump and die, two vital organs of the body must be involved; these are the heart and the brain’,
None of her parents has it and so it became a puzzle to the doctors. She was lucky and was treated but for her to live on BP drugs from age 20 became incredible to her and her parents. Alhaja Safinatu recently got to her shop at Ladipo, relaxed on her chair to have lunch when she slumped in her chair.
Thinking that something was wrong with the chair, her neighbours in the market rushed instantaneously to give a helping hand and lift her up. Then, apprehension set in when they noticed her still form. And still thinking that she might have suffered a concussion as a result of the fall, they rushed her to the General Hospital but within minutes of her arrival, she was pronounced dead by the doctor. Her BP was 280/150. The recent goal is that BP should be below 120/80. These numbers were extremely high and very dangerous.
These are not isolated cases. Sudden death syndrome is becoming all too common. Apart from slumping and dying, strange diseases are cropping up every day and poverty-stricken Nigerians are falling victims.
Almost every Nigerian knows somebody who has had a stroke or died suddenly. There is an epidemic of both men and women ‘slumping’ and dying. It is bad that someone left home in the morning seemingly healthy and did not make it back home. It is reported that the average life expectancy in Nigeria in 2000 was 51-56 years and by 2011 had declined to 47.56 (World Bank figures). All indications are that this decline occurred even as we have become a more affluent country. The average worldwide life expectancy presently is approximately 65.5 years, while that of countries like the USA is in the 70s. A more realistic comparison would be that of a country like Rwanda, where the life expectancy is estimated to be approximately 55 years in 2011.
What appears most alarming is that people are ‘slumping’ from treatable and manageable medical conditions such as Malaria, Diabetes, Heart Attacks, and Strokes. All have local definitions and ascribable spiritual connections. Such illnesses are preventable and treatable through appropriate health education, change in lifestyle and adequate treatment, despite the misguided ‘spiritual’ diagnosis.
People are increasingly dying of treatable diseases due to ignorance, unholy deception and misinformation. These are preventable health issues. As the body ages, it stops functioning as it should and naturally needs assistance. A body that was able to tolerate a high fever may be unable to do so anymore as it ages. An unintended result of ‘healthy’ eating is obesity which by the way leads to adult-onset diabetes. It is the nature of life. What ordinarily could be treatable with ‘onions’ is now treated with antibiotics. It is bad enough to have incurable diseases but it is good to at the very least deal properly with the ones that are durable and can be managed.
It is advisable to seek medical attention at the first sign of illness and routinely at least once a year. People should understand their family medical history and respond accordingly and proactively.
WHY PEOPLE SLUMP AND DIE
Dec 29, 2017 | News
SIGNS YOUR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE IS GOING TO KILL YOU
By: Meg Dowell
Many people live with high blood pressure and don’t know they have it. Whether you’re aware of your condition or not, it harms your health over time if it goes untreated. There are many symptoms uncommon in most people with high blood pressure — unless their lives are in immediate danger. Here’s how to tell if your blood pressure is out of control — and what you can do about it.
You’re feeling dizzy
The American Heart Association clarifies that high blood pressure does not frequently cause dizziness. Sometimes, it’s a side effect of certain blood pressure medications. However, sudden dizziness or loss of balance could mean you are having a stroke as a result of high blood pressure. According to the CDC, around 140,000 die of a stroke every year
You’re suffering from constant headaches
There are many different types of headaches, and their root causes vary. According to Harvard Health, headaches may be the only sign of high blood pressure in some people. If you’re suffering persistent headaches and that’s not normal for you, your blood pressure could be to blame. Severe headaches could signal something called a hypertensive crisis — which actually needs immediate medical treatment.
You’re not making an effort to change your habits
If a health professional has given you a list of guidelines to follow to control your high blood pressure, and you aren’t following that list, your life could be in danger. The National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute warns that not taking charge of your blood pressure can lead to serious complications. These include kidney disease, eye damage, and even devastating damage to your brain.
You can’t control it no matter what you do
Resistant hypertension, or resistant high blood pressure, occurs when your blood pressure levels don’t respond as readily to lifestyle changes and medications as they should. You might have to continue to make behavior changes, try new medications, and monitor your pressures to figure out when they’re at their highest and why. If you don’t put in the extra effort, you’re putting your health at risk.
What happens if you don’t change?
According to Mayo Clinic, chronic, uncontrolled high blood pressure can become life-threatening. Long-term damage to your arteries can put you at risk for an aneurysm. Consistent high readings can also lead to heart disease, heart failure, and increase your risk of having a heart attack. You could also have a stroke or develop dementia.
Is your blood pressure normal?
Doctors interpret your blood pressure using two different numbers. According to the American Heart Association, the top number should read less than 120, and the bottom number should read less than 80. If your blood pressure reads 160 over 100 or higher, you’re at the highest stage of hypertension. Anything higher than 180 over 110 requires immediate medical attention.
Easy changes that can improve blood pressure
Usually, medication and a number of lifestyle changes work together to effectively keep your blood pressure within a safe range. According to Healthline, exercise can make a huge difference — around 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. Limiting your added sugar, alcohol, and processed food intake also helps. Make sure you’re managing your stress and getting enough sleep, too.
