Why young Nigerians face rising hypertension risk – Don raises alarm

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A consultant cardiologist, Professor Chizindu Alikor, has voiced severe worry over the rising frequency of hypertension among young Nigerians, saying that high blood pressure is “no longer a sickness for the old” since even 18-year-olds are increasingly being diagnosed.

Professor Alikor offered the warning during the 123rd Inaugural Lecture of the Rivers State University, RSU, on Wednesday, presenting a presentation themed: “The Silent Active Engine Bearing Weights of Human Sufferings: The Battle to Stay Alive.”

Explaining the focus of his talk, Professor Alikor, who is the Chief Medical Director at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, RSUTH, described the heart as “the silent active engine” that relentlessly keeps humans alive despite great strain.

He underlined that lifestyle decisions are now the greatest dangers to heart health.

According to him, “Lifestyle decisions impact the heart,” stressing that diet, stress, excessive salt intake, high refined sugar consumption, obesity, poor diabetes management, and untreated hypertension are major contributors to the growing burden of cardiovascular diseases.

“These,” he said, “are components in the domains of suffering that impact negatively on the human heart.”

To address this, the cardiologist devised the “Alikor Survival Network Model,” a holistic strategy encompassing the individual, family and the healthcare system to provide improved heart care.

Growing Rates of Hypertension in Rural Communities and Young Adults

The Nigerian Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging’s President, Professor Alikor, also shared results from a study he and others carried out more than 20 years ago that demonstrated the Niger Delta’s existing high incidence of cardiovascular risk factors.

More worrying, however, is the increasing tendency of hypertension in rural regions and among young individuals.

He revealed that up to 15% of individuals between the ages of 18 and 39 have cardiovascular risk factor clustering, which he described as “worrisome.”

He also wondered about the state of affairs in cities, where traditional diets and physical activity had been undermined by urbanization and changing lifestyles.

“Urbanization has wiped away the traditional diet and leg walk and has brought us to a sedentary lifestyle,” he stated.

According to Professor Alikor, the study also revealed that cardiovascular risk clusters are more common among men.

Hypertension, Heart Failure and Stroke Dominating Niger Delta Cases

Heart failure and stroke continue to be the most prevalent cardiovascular problems among Niger Delta hospitalized patients, according to Professor Alikor.

He warned that symptoms such as palpitations should never be disregarded, describing them as signals of cardiovascular strain that demand quick attention from a cardiologist.

The cardiologist stressed that shared accountability is essential to survival.

“The battle to stay alive is a collective project and not an individual endeavor,” he added, insisting that the Alikor Heart Survival Network Model, when adopted, can protect both individuals and communities.

He highlighted diet as the first line of defense, noting: “Diets rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains are useful.

“Diets high in salt, trans fat, refined sugar, are enemies of the silent active engine (the heart).”

Alikor urged Nigerians to “know your numbers, including blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Alarmingly, he noted: “In our study we established that even among the very educated, they move around with 200/150, just moving around; very enlightened university professors.”

He encouraged regular home monitoring, saying: “You need to have your blood pressure monitors, the electronic ones, good ones… Keep in the office, keep by your bedsides and check your blood pressure regularly.”

He cited scripture when he stated, “Luke 22:44 has cardiovascular implications,” highlighting the physiological strain that the heart experiences.

The future crisis is being driven by processed foods and a decline in physical activity.

Professor Alikor warned that epidemiologic transition and lifestyle changes — especially the move to fast foods and prepared meals — are exacerbating cardiovascular risks.

In the absence of deliberate interventions, he warned, “in the next 10 to 20 years, there will be an alarming increase of heart attacks and stroke.” Traditional practices like eating a diet high in vegetables and taking long walks have been abandoned as a result of westernization.

To combat this looming disaster, he presented the “Alikor Health Care Survival Model.”

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, restated the institution’s commitment to addressing societal problems via research and intellectual engagement.

He emphasized that challenges such as bad infrastructure, unemployment, poverty and diseases are aggravated by daily stress and unhealthy lifestyles.

According to Professor Zeb-Obipi, these elements put stress on the heart and other essential organs, which eventually lowers production.

The VC stated the university’s culture of inaugural lectures is geared at proffering viable solutions to such important national concerns.

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