IS SUDDEN DEATH WITH US?
The last time Adediran Adebanjo placed a call to his wife was on August 2, when the Young Shall Grow Bus got to Ibadan. Since he embarked on the journey from Kano, the 58-year-old man had made it a point of duty to regularly update his wife on the progress of his journey.
He had given instructions concerning his home-coming and promised to call his wife back as soon as the bus gets to Lagos.
Two hours later when the wife did not receive the usual updates from Adebanjo, she placed a call to his mobile number; a fellow passenger picked it and informed her Adebanjo was still fast asleep. About 30 minutes after, another passenger picked the call and informed the wife her husband may have been too tired and he was still asleep.
Finally, one hour later, a man who identified himself as an official of the bus company said in an unkind voice: “ Your husband is dead, come and pick his body at our head office.”
“That was it, they just told us like that and when we got to the office, they had packed up his body. My father died so suddenly,” Kunle the deceased son said.
Adebanjo’s death was sudden and without warning, his family says he had not exhibited any prior signs of heart problems before his sudden demise. With the autopsy on the way, the family is left stunned and depressed.
But Mrs Juliana Okoh, has hypertension which she had tried to control without success most of the time. In December 2013, she bid her family farewell as she retired to bed and she died suddenly in her sleep.
Sudden cardiac death reaches alarming level
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines SD as death occurring within 24 hours of an abrupt change in one’s previous clinical status.
In Sub- Saharan Africa, cases of sudden deaths have been prevalent for a long time before clinical examinations were able to determine their causes.
According to medical experts, cardiovascular diseases, however, are the major culprits in the definite cases of sudden deaths.
Statistically, the global death from cardiovascular diseases is put at 17 million with about 80 percent of this casualty coming from low andmiddle income countries like Nigeria. In Nigeria, the reality of Sudden Cardiac Deaths (SCD) has become evident with more high profile cases of SCD.
Last Saturday, Deputy Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Zannah Umar Mustapha died in his sleep of cardiac arrest. He was in his hotel room in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, when he lost his life suddenly. Last year, former Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Ranti Akerele, died suddenly and the presenter of Focus on Africa, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World News programme, Komla Dumor, collapsed and died at his home in the United Kingdom; legislator, Raphael Nomiye, a member representing Ilaje/Ese Odo Constituency in the House of Representatives, also died last year.
Last year, tragedy struck the family of former Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Agagu, whose sudden death was both tragic and dramatic.
Former Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Tonye Ezekiel and his Taraba State counterpart, Haruna Tsokwa lost their lives to heart attacks.
The sporting world is not spared. In August 2013, during the yearly fitness exercise for referees in Abuja, Osita Nwadashi suddenly complained of weakness, medical assistance was called but Nwadashi did not survive. He died inside the ambulance. Nwadashi’s sudden death was not a one-off event in the referee association; in 2010, during the exercise, Oyetola Olatunde and Faloye Matthew also suffered same fate: they died suddenly and without notice.
What about the poor masses, our families, relations who have died untimely due to heart attack, It could happen to any one. However, life style is a major risk factor.
Heart attack occurs when one of the arteries that supplies blood to the heart ruptures suddenly. “This means that section of the heart that is supplied is at the risk of dying. The effects and manifestation will now depend on how massive the heart attack is, whether it involves one or more arteries or the major branch of the arteries. When it involves the major parts of the heart itself, it will lead to heart attack.
Olusegun-Joseph said lifestyle was a major risk factor, adding that people who were not physically active, especially those who live a sedentary lifestyle are liable. “They are more at risk of developing cardiovascular problems and sudden death by extension. Also, smokers are vulnerable to cardiovascular issues. From taking tobacco they can have potential trigger of sudden death,” he added.
“Many people who are hypertensive but don’t know can die suddenly. A lot of these people are going about with elevated blood pressure without prior knowledge or medical checkup. Also diabetes mellitus can trigger sudden death so diabetics who have not been controlling their condition can die suddenly if their blood sugar rises.
“They may have a headache and go to a chemist to buy paracetamol. When they use it the headache subsides a little and then returns afterwards. They are only postponing the evil day. Also at risk are those with increased cholesterol in their system. Those who are aggressive or belong to what is known medically as Type A personality are equally at risk. This is because they are the multi-tasked.
Taiwo also advised that the easiest way to cut off sudden death is to reduce all the risk factors. He said there is need for regular screening for diabetes and control of obesity through weight control regime. He counseled that Nigerians should eat food which is low in saturated fat, fruits and vegetables.
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