A haematologist, Professor Wuraola Shokunbi says blood clots that develop in the veins that carry blood to the heart is often the cause of sudden deaths and deaths after surgery in many hospitals in Nigeria because the problem is too often unrecognised and undiagnosed.
Professor Shokunbi disclosing this at the virtual 22nd annual Benjamin Oluwakayode Osuntokun memorial lecture with the theme “Venous Thrombo-Embolism (VTE)-an often overlooked disorder,” said blood clot that develop in the veins which carry blood to the heart, what is medically termed VTE, is a common cause of illness, impairment, or death particularly in hospitalised patients in Nigeria.
According to her, based on the Nigeria’s population of 200 million, at least 330,000 Nigerians are likely to be hospitalised for blood clots that develop in the veins which carry blood to the heart.
The expert declared that blood clot occurring in a deep vein of the leg, groin or arm accounts for about 64 per cent of all cases of hospitalisation from this condition even as blood clot lodging in the lungs is the problem in 36 per cent of all the cases in the country.
She declared that VTE is common, especially following surgery, in pregnancy, the period just after delivery, in patients with cancer and diabetes.
She added that “in Africa, the prevalence of deep vein thrombosis (blood clots that develop in the veins) in patients after surgery varies between 2.4 per cent and 9.6 per cent and incidence in pregnant and women just after delivery varies between 338 to 448 per 100,000 births per year.
“Of all medical conditions, cancer is by far the strongest risk factor, increasing the risk of a blood clot over 50-fold in the first six months after diagnosis.”
Professor Shokunbi, however, stated that the chances of this blood clot problem occurring in individuals rise exponentially with increasing age in all gender.
According to her, even with treatment with anticoagulants, the chances of a reoccurrence of this blood clot problem within a year is high with advancing age, in obese individuals, males as well as those with active cancer or with partial paralysis or weakness of legs.
Professor Shokunbi said VTE remains under-diagnosed due to the low index of suspicion, inadequate diagnostic facilities for the condition and poor financial support for comprehensive healthcare, urging increased public awareness on its prevention in the country.
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