By Ngozi Nwoke
Mr. Nnamdi Oko was playing his favorite game of tennis when he suddenly slumped on the court in the presence of his family who came to watch him display his skills. The incident happened on Saturday, September 15, 2022.
Unfortunately, he didn’t make it alive to the hospital as he was pronounced dead on arrival by the doctor. Just like that, as afrobeat maestro, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, would say, he died in the presence of his wife and tender children at the age of 47.
On April 10, 2022, 50-year-old Mrs. Bisola Uduak slumped and died at the reunion party of her school when she was dancing and jubilating with friends and old school-mates. At first, her friends made efforts to resuscitate her by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, otherwise known as CPR, it yielded no result as she was pronounced dead when she was rushed to the hospital.
Members of the Christ Apostolic Church, Oshodi parish, Lagos, never envisaged to witness an unfortunate incident during the service on the fateful day of October 11, 2022, as 42-year-old Adedayo Egbuson, father of six and businessman, suddenly slumped and died in church while praise and worship was going on. He left behind a wife and a six months old baby.
His wife, Mrs.Toyin Egbuson, disclosed that she still didn’t believe that her husband was dead. She noted that he was strong, energetic and didn’t show any sign of illness on the day he died.
She said: “That Sunday morning, we woke up, had our usual morning devotion together, since we live alone, I prepared breakfast, which we had before heading to the church. He was hale and hearty when he drove us to the church.”
The family of Adewale lost the mother of the house, Mrs. Bukola, 50 years old, in a fit of time without any clinical manifestation. She had left Ilorin for Lagos as a healthy woman ready to assist her son’s wife who just gave birth. But she barely stayed one week in Lagos before she slumped and then died, just like that.
Her son said: ” Mother never complained of fever, headache or anything. In fact, that morning she bathed my little baby and discussed a lot of issues. I did not know she wouldn’t be able to live more than that very day. By that afternoon, she fell and started gasping for breath. That was how we rushed her to the hospital and the doctor declared her dead.”
He said, according to the doctor, his mother had a heart attack and was probably suffering from hypertension, which was unknown to her and other members of the family. Bukola’s death, no doubt will remain a big shock for the family as no one had any premonition or a prepared mind towards what was to come.
These victims of sudden death are not the only ones who have suddenly lost their lives. In fact, it has become a daily routine across Nigeria, even with prominent figures becoming victims of the new trend, no thanks to the creepy consequence of silent killers.
The lawmaker representing Akure South/North Constituency in the House of Representatives, Adedayo Omolafe, slumped and died. He was said to have participated actively in a caucus meeting of the House of Representatives an evening before the unfortunate incident. He was not known to be suffering from any chronic illness prior to his death.
Among other prominent Nigerians who have lost their lives suddenly are the former Ondo State Governor, Segun Agagu, former Deputy Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Zannah Umar Mustapha, former Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Ranti Akerele, former Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Tonye Ezekiel, and his Taraba counterpart, Haruna Tsokwa, just to mention a few.
The country has lost prominent sons and daughters, who are mostly in their prime, to sudden death, leaving the country at the mercy of the scourge. No one knows who is next in line for the sudden attack
Information from health experts, however, showed that hundreds of thousands of Nigerians have lost their lives to sudden death in recent times, even though the cases of the prominent Nigerians are mostly heard.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines sudden deaths as death occurring within 24 hours of an abrupt change in one’s previous clinical status, adding that it was becoming prevalent in sub-Saharan African countries like Nigeria.
Sudden death is said to occur when a blood clot suddenly cuts off the blood flow to the heart, preventing oxygen from getting to the heart. A lack of oxygen-containing blood flowing to the heart results in the loss of heart muscle.
Experts believe that despite the myth by most Nigerians that sudden unexpected deaths are due to over-thinking, stress, diabolical powers or the emerging economic hardships in the country, the causes of the new trend may go beyond that. Experts say the likely factors may not be unconnected with hypertension, stroke and heart attack, stating clearly that they could be prevented if Nigerians are conscious of their health status and live healthy lifestyle.
The American Heart Foundation has suggested that any factor that physiologically puts the blood pressure in its normal/healthy stage, will in no small measure aid in reduction of stroke and heart attacks prevalence, which experts have implicated in different studies to majorly cause sudden deaths.
It says that the prevention of stroke and heart attack will undoubtedly reduce sudden deaths by 93.7 per cent, with emphasis laid on awareness, improvement and management of hypertension, which has been said to be a key driver for stroke and heart attacks.
The Foundation, on its website, noted that high blood pressure damages arteries throughout the body, such that they burst or clog more easily, adding that weakened arteries in the brain put one at much higher risk for stroke.
“About 87 per cent of strokes are ischemic, which are caused by narrowed or clogged blood vessels in the brain that cut off the blood flow to the brain cells. Because HBP damages arteries throughout the body, it is critical to keep one’s blood pressure within acceptable ranges to protect the brain from this often disabling or fatal event,” the AHF said.
It also noted that apart from hypertension, which is a chief agent for stroke and heart attack, other factors that may cause sudden death include aggressive lifestyles, cigarette smoking, obesity and diabetes, among other non-communicable diseases, which are unfortunately on the rise in Nigeria.
Former Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Theophilus Odagme, advised people to check their blood pressure regularly and advised those who were hypertensive to take their drugs regularly.
“Those who believe they are living well and are not hypertensive must have their blood pressure (BP) checked regularly; this is very important. If not, it may lead to stroke or cause the heart to stop suddenly, which we call heart attack; it can happen to anyone irrespective of age. So, there is a need to be careful about one’s health because prevention is better than cure. People need to be aware of other causes such as cardiovascular causes, which can be as a result of thrombosis, gastrointestinal disease and in some cases, diarrhea and vomiting. Asphyxia and gastrointestinal causes can also lead to sudden deaths.’’
He encouraged people to keep a healthy lifestyle, do regular exercises, have regular blood pressure checks, eat healthy regularly and avoid a sedentary lifestyle.
“People should guard against obesity as well as maintain good personal and environmental hygiene. For pregnant women, there should be improved ante-natal and maternal care. It is important for us to emphasize sudden deaths because it is common and as the name implies, it happens without notice. Sudden death also includes deaths from suicide, homicide, war, terrorism, crashes, falls, drowning and fire disasters. It can also be from serious illnesses that are known, though death is not expected from an illness such as epilepsy.”
Medical advisor, David Vareba, stated that when Nigerians adopt healthy lifestyles, non-communicable diseases, including cardiac issues will be reduced significantly in the country.
According to him, habits to be stopped include: lack of exercise, lack of sleep, reduction of caffeine intake, weight loss, reduction in salt intake and reduction in alcohol consumption, among others. He added that if Nigerians cut short on fast foods, processed, as well as canned foods, and patronize vegetables and fruits, it would help a long way in reducing the prevalence rate of sudden deaths in the country.
“There are many Nigerians who walk around believing they are healthy but they are not. Many people do not even know that they have high blood pressure and sometimes, it doesn’t really show any symptoms so it causes sudden death. In some instances, there are cases of heart disorder, diseases of the heart or abnormalities in the heart’s electrical activities. Either of these diseases can cause people to have heart symptoms and die shortly after,” he said.
Lending her voice, Felicia Okoli, a medical doctor, said the cultural belief that sudden deaths were not natural but linked to diabolical attacks, was one of the impediments to medical solution to some of the diseases. She added that it was easier to address some medical health conditions that could lead to sudden death when people adopt regular medical check-ups.
“While sudden deaths remain a common occurrence in the country, the awareness by the citizens on its causes and preventions, as well as government’s conscious efforts to deal with the scourge can help tackle the challenge. In heart attack (acute myocardial infarction), a blood vessel becomes completely blocked by a blood clot, and there is enough irritability of the muscle to cause ventricular fibrillation.
“In fact, the reason many people with chest pain are admitted to the hospital is to monitor their heart rate and rhythm for signs that might lead to ventricular fibrillation. Sudden death may also be the first sign or symptom of heart disease. Congestive heart failure and heart valve problems, like aortic stenosis which is narrowing of the aortic valve also increase the risk of sudden cardiac arrest.”
The medical experts identified stroke and heart attack as the major causes of over 93.7 percent of the sudden and unexpected deaths in the country. They also hold the position that more males die of heart related diseases than females, because women’s naturally occurring hormone levels protect them against heart diseases before menopause, when hormone levels drop.
They blame the rise in sudden and unexpected deaths on rural to urban migration, increased salt and fat intake from the consumption of processed foods, increased tobacco uses and sedentary lifestyle.
Also speaking, Johnson Edet, a medical doctor in the department of Internal Medicine, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), noted that hypertension is one major risk factor for sudden death in Nigeria. He noted that many people joke with their blood pressure and leave their health to chance and that is why some are just slumping and dying.
He said: “Hypertension that is not controlled or not properly controlled can lead to malignant hypertension. A person who suddenly develops heart palpitation which means the heart is not well coordinated can die if he or she is not properly attended to.”
Edet stated that apart from the blood pressure check, the heart is like a point connected to the pipe. If the vessels connected to the pipe are not well taken care of, it would also affect the heart. This is why doctors emphasize that people should have a cholesterol check, a body mass index and work on their lifestyles.
“Nigerians need to check their blood pressure regularly, to avoid stress as much as possible, although it cannot be avoided it can be reduced. Exercise regularly so that blood can flow regularly and have access to a blood pressure check. Everyone should be able to check their body mass to make sure they are fit as well as their blood sugar level.”
Mrs. Irene Ofordu, a medical doctor from Mother and Child Clinic, Ikeja, Lagos, revealed that there are some people who are diagnosed with heart diseases but don’t take their drugs. Those people have underlying conditions and have not been careful and deliberate with their health.
According to Ofordu, the most important thing is for people to go for checkups regularly. Most importantly, if they have a family history of heart problems or other health conditions, their medical check-ups should be a must.
“The important way to live healthy is to go for a checkup, avoid smoking, excessive alcohol, sedentary lifestyle and excessive consumption of unhealthy foods. Many Nigerians need to start exercising, it is very important for heart health.”
Ofordu added that there can be a background heart failure that is not well treated. Some patients have been diagnosed with specific heart diseases due to stress. Apart from just having blood pressure, more stress can take that patient to a situation where the heart cannot cope again and the person suddenly slumps and dies.
She advised Nigerians to engage in aerobics to pamper their hearts, saying they need not lift weight but engage in simple activities like jogging, walking and yoga exercise.