Good day, my friend.

I'm writing this out of pure concern about your health and well-being. You might not know me, and we might not have met before now. But that's far less important than the message I have for you right now.

As a medical doctor, I've seen a lot.

Loads of cases of poorly managed hypertension that eventually resulted in avoidable sad ends. Sad ends like sudden death, kidney failure, and permanent paralysis or disability.

And each time I see one, it really saddens me.

Having hypertension isn't a taboo, and it's not something anyone should be ashamed of. In fact, far more Nigerians than you can ever imagine have it.

But there are two common problems: First, many people who have high blood pressure don't know they have it. And second, those who have it and aware of that handle it with levity and manage it poorly. The consequences of falling within either category are the same -- sad and regrettable, yet avoidable

To help you better understand my concerns, I'll tell you a few short stories. Real life stories, I mean.

And here's the first:

A man in his late 50s (let's call him Mr. A) was once rushed into the emergency unit of a popular Nigerian hospital, unconscious. He was said to have suddenly slumped an hour earlier while standing in the verandah of his house to catch some fresh breeze.

On further questioning, it was revealed that this man has been treating hypertension. He was first diagnosed about 10 years earlier and placed on the right drugs. Since then, he's been taking his drugs regularly, and he's been absolutely fine...

Until the previous week when a "concerned friend" came visiting Mr. A. This friend saw him while taking his drugs and asked what the drugs were meant for. After being told that they were drugs for hypertension, this friend asked when he started taking them. On hearing that Mr. A has been on the drugs for about 10 years, this friend expressed shock.

Mr. A's friend blamed him for his "ignorance", and for allowing doctors to continuously rip him off. He then recommended a potent herbal concoction that would cure Mr. A permanently within 3 days. He even promised to help Mr. A get the concoction. He fulfilled that promise the following day and gave Mr A instructions on how to use the "one-time hypertension buster".

Right from the day Mr. A received the concoction, he stopped taking his anti-hypertensive drugs. He took the concoction for three days, as instructed by his friend, and hoped that he's been permanently cured.

Fast forward to the following week. He was in the emergency ward. When his blood pressure was first checked on admission, it was hitting the roof.
At the time the doctors deemed Mr A fit to be discharged, his blood pressure had been put under control. But unfortunately, he could no longer move his right arm and legs. And only a miracle would see those limbs regain full life again.

End of first story.

Now to my second story:

Mr B (let's call him that) was my neighbour. On one Sunday, he left for his farm with his first son. After working on his farm for about 20 minutes, he dropped his cutlass, stood up, and clutched his forehead. He complained of a terrible headache. Within less a minute, he slumped. His son called for help, and he was rushed to the hospital.

On admission, Mr. B's blood pressure was said to be 230/120 (if you know how dangerous that is). But before much could be done to salvage him, he died. He was just in his mid 40s. Sadly, he never knew he had high blood pressure -- because he never for once bothered to check.

End of story.

My third story is about another neighbor of mine (let's call her Mrs C.), a woman in her early 60s. After taking her lunch on that sad day, she started complaining of headache and dizziness. And shortly after, she slumped. I was called upon, and I checked her BP. It was dangerously high. I instructed that she be rushed to the hospital immediately.

I later figured that she was very much aware that she had hypertension. But she didn't bother to do anything about it because she erroneously thought that it's something minor that would resolve on its own. She died after spending 8 days in the hospital. Throughout the period of her admission, she never regained consciousness.

End of story.

In summary, Mr. A developed stroke and became paralyzed on the right side of his body, Mr. B bled into his brain and died almost immediately, and Mrs. C also developed stroke that rendered her partly disabled.

Aside these ones that happened before my own eyes or close to me, I've heard lots of other similar cases from colleagues.

I once heard of the case of a woman with hypertension who didn't do anything about it because she felt "God was in control". In the end, she died of kidney failure -- another common complication of hypertension.

I also heard of the case of a man who eventually went completely blind due to poorly managed hypertension. And you know what? When he was first told that he had hypertension, years before he eventually went blind, he "rebuked it".

All these stories have the same denominator -- poorly managed hypertension.

My friend, please don't feel threatened by the stories. They are only meant to open your eyes to the realities that come with high blood pressure -- when effective measures aren't taken about it.

Now, let me tell you some important basics about this silent killer called hypertension.

* Hypertension is when your blood pressure is constantly higher than 140/90 (let me not bore you with what these figures represent).

* It is very common in Nigeria. Some studies have it that 40 to 45 percent of Nigerians are hypertensive.

* Hypertension is of two types: Essential hypertension (which is not caused by any known disease condition already existing in the body) and secondary hypertension (which is caused by an underlying disease, condition, or drug).

* Majority of people with hypertension have essential hypertension, and that's why the general term "hypertension" is often used as to imply essential hypertension. Much fewer people have secondary hypertension caused by established disease conditions.

* Secondary hypertension resolves after the underlying cause has been effectively treated or controlled. Essential hypertension, on the other hand, has no known permanent cure, but can be effectively controlled with lifestyle modifications and medications.

[NOTE: Wherever I've used the word "hypertension" in this write-up, I mean essential hypertension, which is what majority of Nigerians with hypertension have.]

* Once again, hypertension has no medically proven one-time cure. So, if that's what you've been looking for, then please stop bothering yourself.

* The cause of hypertension is unknown. But it has been proven to be linked with genetic makeup. In other words, the tendency to have hypertension runs in families, just like the tendency to be fat or slim and the tendency to be tall or short. Other factors that determine a a person's chances of having hypertension include obesity, alcohol intake, stress, sodium intake, and age.

* Most people with hypertension feel no symptoms at all. And that's what makes it particularly dangerous -- especially here in Nigeria, where we don't go to the hospital until we're in serious discomfort.

* But in some lucky people, hypertension shows some warning signs such as headache, inability to get sound sleep, sweating attacks, or feeling of heavy pounding of the heart (palpitations).

* When hypertension is not properly controlled, it could result in terrible outcomes such as permanent disability or paralysis (stroke), blindness, kidney failure, heart failure, and sudden death.

* To reduce your chances of developing hypertension (if you already have the genetic tendency) or your chances of making it worse (if you're already aware that you have it), here are some measures you should adopt:

>>Do all you can to lose weight if you're overweight
>>Do all you can to avoid gaining weight if your weight is okay
>>Reduce your salt intake as well as your consumption of fatty foods
>>Stop smoking (if you're doing that)
>>Stop taking alcohol (if you're doing that)
>>Increase your consumption of fruits, vegetables, and oily fish

Now, your next step should be to check your blood pressure -- especially if you're above 40 years of age (that's when the risk becomes significantly higher).
If your blood pressure is found to be low, then you're fine. But you should always check every 3 months or whenever you feel something's wrong in your body.

But if your blood pressure is high, first be thankful for being aware of it. Then visit the nearest reputable hospital for adequate treatment. Don't dismiss or rebuke it. Don't ask your neighbour or friend who has hypertension what drugs they're using (different drugs work for different people with hypertension). And don't go searching the web for so-called natural remedies that do nothing! Go straight to the hospital to see a doctor -- not a nurse, and not a pharmacist!

Once again, remember that hypertension has no medically-proven one-time cure. So, don't go about looking for that, and turning your body into an experiment lab in the process. Not all experiments end up well, my friend.

Again, if you have hypertension, go to the hospital. If you comply with whatever treatments and advice you're given, you'd be able to keep your blood pressure at consistently safe levels. And you'd be able to live healthily without suffering any of the terrible consequences of poorly managed hypertension.

With all of the above, I'm sure you've learned some important things about hypertension, the silent killer.

I know our country itself is presently hypertensive, and we all have so many things to bother about. But even at that, we all need to take good care of our healths to avoid regrettable, avoidable consequences that can badly affect us, our loved ones, our businesses and careers, and everything else attached to us.

Yours,

Dr. AA Toriola.

Very good thread Doctor.

Thank you!

So inspiring
Health is wealth

Nice one.
Informative post

webincomeplus:
Good day, my friend.

I'm writing this out of pure concern about your health and well-being. You might not know me, and we might not have met before now. But that's far less important than the message I have for you right now.

As a medical doctor, I've seen a lot.

Loads of cases of poorly managed hypertension that eventually resulted in avoidable sad ends. Sad ends like sudden death, kidney failure, and permanent paralysis or disability.

And each time I see one, it really saddens me.

Having hypertension isn't a taboo, and it's not something anyone should be ashamed of. In fact, far more Nigerians than you can ever imagine have it.

But there are two common problems: First, many people who have high blood pressure don't know they have it. And second, those who have it and aware of that handle it with levity and manage it poorly. The consequences of falling within either category are the same -- sad and regrettable, yet avoidable

To help you better understand my concerns, I'll tell you a few short stories. Real life stories, I mean.

And here's the first:

A man in his late 50s (let's call him Mr. A) was once rushed into the emergency unit of a popular Nigerian hospital, unconscious. He was said to have suddenly slumped an hour earlier while standing in the verandah of his house to catch some fresh breeze.

On further questioning, it was revealed that this man has been treating hypertension. He was first diagnosed about 10 years earlier and placed on the right drugs. Since then, he's been taking his drugs regularly, and he's been absolutely fine...

Until the previous week when a "concerned friend" came visiting Mr. A. This friend saw him while taking his drugs and asked what the drugs were meant for. After being told that they were drugs for hypertension, this friend asked when he started taking them. On hearing that Mr. A has been on the drugs for about 10 years, this friend expressed shock.

Mr. A's friend blamed him for his "ignorance", and for allowing doctors to continuously rip him off. He then recommended a potent herbal concoction that would cure Mr. A permanently within 3 days. He even promised to help Mr. A get the concoction. He fulfilled that promise the following day and gave Mr A instructions on how to use the "one-time hypertension buster".

Right from the day Mr. A received the concoction, he stopped taking his anti-hypertensive drugs. He took the concoction for three days, as instructed by his friend, and hoped that he's been permanently cured.

Fast forward to the following week. He was in the emergency ward. When his blood pressure was first checked on admission, it was hitting the roof.
At the time the doctors deemed Mr A fit to be discharged, his blood pressure had been put under control. But unfortunately, he could no longer move his right arm and legs. And only a miracle would see those limbs regain full life again.

End of first story.

Now to my second story:

Mr B (let's call him that) was my neighbour. On one Sunday, he left for his farm with his first son. After working on his farm for about 20 minutes, he dropped his cutlass, stood up, and clutched his forehead. He complained of a terrible headache. Within less a minute, he slumped. His son called for help, and he was rushed to the hospital.

On admission, Mr. B's blood pressure was said to be 230/120 (if you know how dangerous that is). But before much could be done to salvage him, he died. He was just in his mid 40s. Sadly, he never knew he had high blood pressure -- because he never for once bothered to check.

End of story.

My third story is about another neighbor of mine (let's call her Mrs C.), a woman in her early 60s. After taking her lunch on that sad day, she started complaining of headache and dizziness. And shortly after, she slumped. I was called upon, and I checked her BP. It was dangerously high. I instructed that she be rushed to the hospital immediately.

I later figured that she was very much aware that she had hypertension. But she didn't bother to do anything about it because she erroneously thought that it's something minor that would resolve on its own. She died after spending 8 days in the hospital. Throughout the period of her admission, she never regained consciousness.

End of story.

In summary, Mr. A developed stroke and became paralyzed on the right side of his body, Mr. B bled into his brain and died almost immediately, and Mrs. C also developed stroke that rendered her partly disabled.

Aside these ones that happened before my own eyes or close to me, I've heard lots of other similar cases from colleagues.

I once heard of the case of a woman with hypertension who didn't do anything about it because she felt "God was in control". In the end, she died of kidney failure -- another common complication of hypertension.

I also heard of the case of a man who eventually went completely blind due to poorly managed hypertension. And you know what? When he was first told that he had hypertension, years before he eventually went blind, he "rebuked it".

All these stories have the same denominator -- poorly managed hypertension.

My friend, please don't feel threatened by the stories. They are only meant to open your eyes to the realities that come with high blood pressure -- when effective measures aren't taken about it.

Now, let me tell you some important basics about this silent killer called hypertension.

* Hypertension is when your blood pressure is constantly higher than 140/90 (let me not bore you with what these figures represent).

* It is very common in Nigeria. Some studies have it that 40 to 45 percent of Nigerians are hypertensive.

* Hypertension is of two types: Essential hypertension (which is not caused by any known disease condition already existing in the body) and secondary hypertension (which is caused by an underlying disease, condition, or drug).

* Majority of people with hypertension have essential hypertension, and that's why the general term "hypertension" is often used as to imply essential hypertension. Much fewer people have secondary hypertension caused by established disease conditions.

* Secondary hypertension resolves after the underlying cause has been effectively treated or controlled. Essential hypertension, on the other hand, has no known permanent cure, but can be effectively controlled with lifestyle modifications and medications.

[NOTE: Wherever I've used the word "hypertension" in this write-up, I mean essential hypertension, which is what majority of Nigerians with hypertension have.]

* Once again, hypertension has no medically proven one-time cure. So, if that's what you've been looking for, then please stop bothering yourself.

* The cause of hypertension is unknown. But it has been proven to be linked with genetic makeup. In other words, the tendency to have hypertension runs in families, just like the tendency to be fat or slim and the tendency to be tall or short. Other factors that determine a a person's chances of having hypertension include obesity, alcohol intake, stress, sodium intake, and age.

* Most people with hypertension feel no symptoms at all. And that's what makes it particularly dangerous -- especially here in Nigeria, where we don't go to the hospital until we're in serious discomfort.

* But in some lucky people, hypertension shows some warning signs such as headache, inability to get sound sleep, sweating attacks, or feeling of heavy pounding of the heart (palpitations).

* When hypertension is not properly controlled, it could result in terrible outcomes such as permanent disability or paralysis (stroke), blindness, kidney failure, heart failure, and sudden death.

* To reduce your chances of developing hypertension (if you already have the genetic tendency) or your chances of making it worse (if you're already aware that you have it), here are some measures you should adopt:

>>Do all you can to lose weight if you're overweight
>>Do all you can to avoid gaining weight if your weight is okay
>>Reduce your salt intake as well as your consumption of fatty foods
>>Stop smoking (if you're doing that)
>>Stop taking alcohol (if you're doing that)
>>Increase your consumption of fruits, vegetables, and oily fish

Now, your next step should be to check your blood pressure -- especially if you're above 40 years of age (that's when the risk becomes significantly higher).
If your blood pressure is found to be low, then you're fine. But you should always check every 3 months or whenever you feel something's wrong in your body.

But if your blood pressure is high, first be thankful for being aware of it. Then visit the nearest reputable hospital for adequate treatment. Don't dismiss or rebuke it. Don't ask your neighbour or friend who has hypertension what drugs they're using (different drugs work for different people with hypertension). And don't go searching the web for so-called natural remedies that do nothing! Go straight to the hospital to see a doctor -- not a nurse, and not a pharmacist!

Once again, remember that hypertension has no medically-proven one-time cure. So, don't go about looking for that, and turning your body into an experiment lab in the process. Not all experiments end up well, my friend.

Again, if you have hypertension, go to the hospital. If you comply with whatever treatments and advice you're given, you'd be able to keep your blood pressure at consistently safe levels. And you'd be able to live healthily without suffering any of the terrible consequences of poorly managed hypertension.

With all of the above, I'm sure you've learned some important things about hypertension, the silent killer.

I know our country itself is presently hypertensive, and we all have so many things to bother about. But even at that, we all need to take good care of our healths to avoid regrettable, avoidable consequences that can badly affect us, our loved ones, our businesses and careers, and everything else attached to us.

Yours,

Dr. AA Toriola.

Thanks Doc Toriola.


How about a lady of 27years who has had High BP at age 19 but recently stopped since over a year now.

Pls Is it safe to say She's forever cured of hypertension?
Thanks

I

Dear Dr. AAT,

Must HbP drug be taken every day for life?
Shouldn't there be periodic breaks especially when the BP has returned to normal?

Again, look at a scenario were a person who has been on HBP drug suddenly stopped after his Bp came within normal range, and the past one week after stoppage the BP has been within 140/90. So you suggest the person should continue with his drugs even at that numbers?

Thanks for the enlightening post.