Health Digest: HBP, Salt, Sugar Increase Heart Damage Risk — Cardiologist
Ajuluchukwu made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Lagos.
She said that HBP wasn’t only a risk factor of heart damage but also a disease on its own.
“HBP, also called hypertension is a disease on its own; it’s also a risk factor for heart damage.
“When there’s HBP or hypertension, the heart will enlarge and any enlarged organ is telling you that it is easily damaged.
“The heart enlarges to do more work.
“Meanwhile, by enlarging; it also gets into trouble and can get into heart failure,” she said.
Ajuluchukwu explained that the risk factors for hypertension, including smoking, a high salt diet, herbal medications, obesity and increase in weight could also cause heart damage.
She stressed the need for individuals to avoid foods with high salt content because it could cause a sudden increase in their Blood Pressure.
“Salt is also a preservative. Tinned foods or foods sold for commercial reasons tend to have a high salt content, so it doesn’t spoil quickly.
“But that high salt is very injurious to us. Anything that has a lot of salt can make the BP go up,” she warned.
The cardiologist said that another major risk factor for heart damage was diabetes.
She regretted the increase in diabetes cases whose cause, she majorly attributed to lifestyle choices.
“Before it was only three per cent some years ago. But now it is getting to nine per cent.”
“Lack of exercises, obesity and increase in weight are factors that increase the possibility of HBP as well as diabetes,” she said.
Ajuluchukwu urged Nigerians to be more physically active, especially at their workplaces and during their leisure time.
She advised that people go for regular BP, blood sugar and urine checks.
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