UCH: Death from cardiovascular diseases is on the rise

Temitope Alonge, the chief medical director (CMD) of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, says the deaths recorded as a result of cardiovascular diseases is rising.

The CMD made the statement on Wednesday at a symposium organised by the Association of Radiologists in Nigeria (ARIN) in conjunction with the Department of Radiology at UCH

According to Alonge, the commonest disease for people above 40 in Oyo state is hypertension.

“We have got to a point in our lifetime in Nigeria when things have got to change,” NAN quoted him to have said.

“In two years,  we undertook the study of disease patterns in rural areas through the Rapid Result Initiative of the Federal Government.

“We undertook the evaluation of would-be-patients in all 11 local government areas in Ibadan, four local government areas in Oyo and Sepeteri in Saki East Local Government all in Oyo State.

“The result was that hypertension is the commonest disease in these areas after the age of 40. We have put together a paper entitled the ‘Burden of  Hypertension and Cardiovascular Diseases in Oyo State.

“The impact of the non-communicable disease is enormous; many people had systolic hypertension and are ignorant of it and about 90 per cent of these have resulted in sudden death.”