There are increasingly younger Tanzanians being diagnosed with high
blood pressure because of the unhealthy lifestyles they lead, medical
experts have warned.
The warning was issued over the weekend on the eve of the World
Hypertension day (May 17) by Dr Nasiruddin Jamal, Intervention
Cardiologist and Director of the Cardiology Programme at Aga Khan
Hospital in Dar es Salaam.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Guardian, Dr Jamal
warned that high blood pressure is the highway to suffering stroke,
heart and kidney diseases.
He explained that the common risk factors include high salt intake, smoking, sedentary (inactivity) and high calorie diets.
“Because of leading unhealthy lifestyles, we are increasingly
diagnosing younger Tanzanians with high blood pressure,’ he warned.
The Aga Khan Hospital Director of Cardiology Programme also warned
that, once the patient develops heart or kidney complications, or
suffers stroke, medical treatment after that point becomes considerably
expensive, especially for the average Tanzanian.
“So we strongly advocate that prevention is better than cure,” he
said “...to this effect we encourage regular blood pressure checkups,”
he added noting that untreated high blood pressure takes a huge toll on
the heart in particular.
“When an overtaxed heart is forced to keep up with too much
pressure in our arteries, its walls begin to thicken and lose
elasticity,” he explained.
“Eventually, the heart muscles fail and fluid retention in the legs
and lungs can result in high blood pressure which if unchecked, can
also cause stroke,” added the Director of Cardiology.
Dr Jamal who also performed the first ever therapeutic cardiac
catheterisation in the country last year in August, called on all
medical stakeholders to partner with the government to offer free BP
checkups at accessible points across the country.
“Elsewhere in the world you have free BP check up in supermarkets
and other business outlets it allows for early detection before
complications are developed,” he said.
Sharing her clinical observation, Nimtaz Walji, the Clinical
Dietician at Aga Khan Hospital said; “...in my medical experience, I
found that in Tanzania we are find patients with high blood pressure as
young as in their late 20s and early 30s.”
Other than quitting smoking and adopting a more physically active
lifestyle along with watching ones calorie intake, the Clinical
Dietician explained that a key lifestyle change is reduction of salt
intake.
“When you consume a lot of salt, the cells retain more water to
dilute the high concentration but when cells retain a lot of fluid they
become impaired and do not function properly leading to organ
complications,” she cautioned.
Reached for comments, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
public relation officer Nsachris Mwamaja admitted that there is need to
encourage the public to go for regular medical checkups that is vital
for early detection of health complications.
“There is need to raise awareness for wananchi to inculcate the culture of going for regular checkups,” he said.
“Our people don’t even go for check up when they feel unwell...it
is only when they are in pain or can’t move that one goes to the
hospital,” he noted.
However, asked on the need to set up free check up points
specifically for blood pressure he was of the opinion that; “we have
health centres...they should use those ones.”
It should be noted that limited access to health care is one of the
major setbacks in promoting health issues in Tanzania. The challenges
cited include few and far apart health centres, poor infrastructure to
reach those few centres and even fewer medical staff should one manage
to reach these centres.
It is in recognition of this limited access to health facilities
that Doctor Shiraz Dhanani a Tanzanian Intervention Cardiologist
practicing in the capitol of Texas, US who also regularly works at Dar
es Salaam’s Aga Khan Hospital suggested the need for free Blood Pressure
check up points.
“In other countries, one can test their BP level when they go to
the mall or to a grocery store to do their daily shopping,” he said.
“Now there are automatic portable BP checkup machines that are very
affordable and they are accurate and easy to handle,” he added.
Doctor Dhanani, currently in the country emphasised to The Guardian
that early detection is the key to stopping stroke, heart and kidney
diseases among other ailments and checking ones BP is the first and
vital step to this end.
As for the matter of the test being done free of charge, the
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Public relation officer Mwamaja
was of the opinion that the cost of BP tests is minimal and affordable
to the general public. He however could not offer an average cost
amount.
Reached for details, Public Relations Officer at the Muhimbili
National Hospital Aminieli Elgaisha confirmed that BP is measured every
time a patient goes to the hospital as part of regular procedure.
No comments:
Post a Comment