Secretary, Nigerian Cardiac Society, Dr Rassaq Adebayo has cautioned people with hypertension and other heart problems to adhere to their medications and keep warm during harmattan, warning that more hypertension and heart attack cases tend to occur in this season.
Adebayo, a consultant cardiologist, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Complex, Ile-Ife, Osun State said the season is usually worrisome to cardiologists because harmattan had both direct and indirect way of worsening heart disease.
The expert said studies carried out in Jos found that during the haramattan period, blood pressure tend to increase the more and more people with heart conditions develop heart attack and stroke.
Adebayo said people with heart problems tend to get sick because the high level of atmospheric dust pollution and infections like upper respiratory infections cause inflammation in the heart during this period.
According to him: “when experts compared admission for heart failure and hypertension during haramattan with other seasons at Jos, there were more hospital admission for heart failure and hypertension during haramattan. Unlike others that are able to cope with inhaled dust, the body’s reaction to dust in persons with heart problems worsens their health.”
Increased incidence of ill health in persons with heart problems, including hypertension, Dr Adebayo attributed to other factors such as increased need to stay indoors due to cold, excessive food consumption and physical inactivity.
“Blood pressure increases more among hypertensives during haramattan period. But every weight gain contributes to hypertension and heart failure, all things being equal,” he declared.
Dr Adebayo, however, urged that drug adherence for persons with heart conditions, regular checkups, avoiding dust and cold as much as possible, and taking up of appropriate indoor exercises to remain healthy.
The heart expert lamented that about 50 per cent of individuals do not know their blood pressure even though it is a common cause of heart disease.
According to him, “many that know they have high blood pressure do not know its serious. What makes it worse is that people cannot differentiate between sickness, illness and disease. Anybody that is seen walking is assumed well. Victims of sudden deaths also look well before their death.”
Already, people who suffer from heart disease can have narrowed blood vessels and recently, ambient air pollution has been linked to diabetes and obesity, disease states that have a significant impact on the cardiovascular system.
Experts usually also caution individuals with pre existing chronic chest infection like asthma to take special precaution to reduce exposure to the dusty atmosphere in addition to having their inhaler with them all the time.
It is also common place to experience excessive sneezing, cough, catarrh, joint pain and even nose bleeding.