DESPITE the common misconception that hypertension has no symptoms, a heart specialist, Dr Akinyemi Aje, has stated that headaches and blurred vision, which are frequently ignored by many, can occasionally be signs of hypertension in many people.
Dr Aje, a consultant cardiologist, who made this known at the annual general meeting and scientific conference of the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners in Oyo State in Ibadan, said the headache after rest disappears without people giving thought to checking their blood pressure.
He stated: “People just take it for granted that it is because they didn’t sleep well or had overworked themselves. When the blood pressure goes up, the headache comes, and when they rest, it disappears. That’s why we need to get a machine for blood pressure measurement at home.”
According to the cardiologist, hypertension is a real condition. that needs to be treated with drugs, without which complications and other conditions like diabetes, kidney disease, and an irregular heartbeat can set in.
Dr Aje also warned individuals above 40 against taking one tablet of aspirin a day to prevent stroke, saying, it is not ideal for everyone.
“You need to visit your doctor so they may examine you and determine whether you truly need it or not. You have a very significant risk of experiencing side effects like bleeding in the brain and other parts of the body if you take aspirin when your blood pressure is high and uncontrolled.
“Again, the individuals that can take aspirin regularly are those who have had a heart attack or a type of stroke caused by the reduced blood supply to the brain, what is called an ischaemic stroke. So, taking an aspirin tablet a day is not ideal,” he said.
Dr Aje urged strict adherence to taking hypertension medications because the medication does not cure but will only lower the blood pressure to prevent complications of elevated blood pressure in the body.
He urged individuals to report any problems or side effects of hypertension, including poor libido in men, to their doctor, rather than stopping its intake.
According to him, it is also important that individuals with hypertension, aside from adhering to hypertension medicines, adopt lifestyle modifications including cutting down on salt intake, exercising at least 30 minutes a day, losing weight, and avoiding alcohol use and smoking.
In addition, he urged all families to keep blood pressure measuring equipment at home and to check their blood pressure every day, regardless of whether they are hypertensive.
“Hypertension is real. We need to be aware, and we need to be checking. It’s not something like malaria that will give you signs like fever and loss of appetite. With hypertension or elevated blood pressure, you won’t even be aware that it is elevated. So what we need to do is, as a family, we must have a device for measuring blood pressure,” he added.
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