THE DEATH OF BAYELSA DEPUTY GOVERNOR

A healthy lifestyle is helpful in stemming sudden death

We commiserate with the government and people of Bayelsa State over the death of their Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo. He reportedly collapsed while proceeding to a scheduled meeting within his office and was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre where he was later confirmed dead. While we await the report of the autopsy ordered by Governor Douye Diri, health authorities in the country should be concerned about the growing numbers of sudden death victims.

Sudden death occurs, according to experts, when there are abnormal heart rhythms, and the heart is unable to pump blood. Within minutes, this could cause death unless emergency treatment is begun immediately. Incidentally, many of these incidents come without warning signs. In the case of sudden cardiac arrest, for instance, over half of the victims die without symptoms. When there are signs, they come in the form of racing heartbeat, or victims may feel dizzy, alerting them that a potentially dangerous heart problem has started. Other symptoms listed include headache, chest discomfort, breathing problems, blurring vision and convulsion.

A few predisposing illnesses such as hypertension, stress, high cholesterol, and diabetes may precipitate a sudden death syndrome. In a country where many of the citizens resort to self-medication to bypass the cost of seeing a medical doctor, abuse of medications can result in dangerous drug interactions with lethal consequences, particularly among those who have pre-existing medical problems. Heart diseases experts have long warned that death could occur because of wrong diagnosis, which happens to be an issue in Nigeria. Many people who are obese or suffering from ill-managed diabetes can also easily fall victim of heart diseases and unexpected death.

Following the reported death of many Nigerians after a match involving our country during the 34th Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire in January 2024, many experts argued that there must be underlining medical conditions before otherwise healthy people would suddenly die the way they did. In a statement signed by Augustine Odili, Chizindu Alikor and Adeseye Akintunde, all Professors of Medicine, the Nigerian Cardiac Society raised pertinent questions about cardiovascular health of most Nigerians. While admitting that it could not speculate on the exact cause of the reported deaths at the time, they nonetheless admonished: “We owe it a duty to call the attention of Nigerians to the very possibility that sudden death can occur either in the presence/ absence of risk factors many of which are highly prevalent among Nigerians and are also poorly controlled.”

Indeed, the frequency of these deaths arising from cardiovascular or related diseases can be brought down considerably if people take time in keeping regular follow-up appointments with their doctors, taking medications as prescribed and making certain lifestyle changes. We urge Nigerians to attend regular health screening, at least once a year. Indeed, it should be as regular as they service their cars and generators for those who can afford it. This gives them an opportunity to update their health situation. In addition, quitting such habits like smoking, losing weight and exercising regularly can help in containing incidents of sudden death.

Indeed, while advocating more funding for the health sector at all levels, the Nigerian Cardiac Society recommends a promotion of effective lifestyle modification to reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases in the country. “We call on all Nigerians to look out for one another and promote healthy lifestyle. Together we can honour those we have lost by preventing similar tragedies in future.”

It is in our collective interest to heed the admonition.