REPORTER: IFEOMA AMUTA
Nigerians have been advised to ensure regular body check and strict adherence to doctor ‘s recommendation to avert preventable deaths .
The Executive Secretary, Enugu State Agency for Universal Health Coverage, Dr.Edith Okolo who gave the advice during an interview with Radio Nigeria explained that hypertension could be managed effectively if one measures his or her blood pressure accurately, controls it and live longer.
She noted that normal blood temperature is 90 for Systolic and 130 for diastolic level stressing that any result higher than that when consistently confirmed remained a hypertensive case which requires routine medication.
She advised people not to wait for their body system to break down but rather to ensure routine check to ascertain their sugar level which propels high blood pressure with symptoms of blurry vision, headache, chest pains and nose bleeding.
Dr Okolo said that uncontrolled blood pressure may lead to stroke, kidney failure or blindness while urging residents of the state to take advantage of the health insurance scheme by the state government for access to prompt and affordable health service delivery.
Also, a Chief Medical Director in Enugu, Dr.Austin Ikwueze noted that the heart becomes weaker when the blood pressure was high although some who had high blood pressure remain ignorant of the ailment which was very dangerous.
While describing high blood pressure as a silent killer,Dr Ikwueze noted that low blood pressure which is the inability of the arteries to pump enough blood in the heart was very dangerous.
He advised people to make use of health facilities to ensure regular body checks stressing that when using BP apparatus they should seek the assistance of professionals who could interpret the reading of the systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as proffer solution .
