Dr. Yemi Johnson, a cardiologist and founder, First Cardiology Consultant, Ikoyi, Lagos in this interview with Omolara Akintoye beams more light on heart attack and cardiac-related cases.
SPEAKING on why we have many people who now slump and die, Dr. Johnson said, “It is certainly a big problem and most times, sudden death is cardiac-related. Your heart just stops and usually it is heart attack or some other problem which causes the heart to stop. It is common but it is largely preventable.
“If people do the right thing, they will not get into that situation; although some are not preventable because the older you get, the higher your risk of getting it.
“Not many people are aware of the things that increase their risk of heart of disease or the many things that cause it? The first is High Blood Pressure, which put people at risk of having heart attacks, high blood pressure and stroke. The reason is that people don’t go and check with their doctor.
“Second is that people don’t take their medications regularly, especially men, probably because they believe that taking the drugs make them have problem with their sex life. If you have such side effect, inform your doctor; he can find other combinations that will work without giving you side effects.
“Another cause is diabetes. There is an epidemic of diabetes in the world. In Nigeria, the main reason is weight. We are not watching our weight; we don’t do exercises. The type is the type 2 Diabetes, which usually comes with being overweight and lack of exercise.
“So the issue of Okada (motorcycle) ban in Lagos State is a welcome development because it is making people do exercise and shed unnecessary weight. Exercise is critical. You don’t need to go to a gym every day. Walking 30 minutes a day keeps bad things away from your body. But a lot of people who need help are in cars. They say they are too busy to exercise, which is a big problem. The truth is if you are too busy to exercise, you eat junk foods and you live a sedentary lifestyle, you will get a heart attack. You will not be able to go to work, and you will die and not be able to provide for your family members. The excuse that you are too busy to do exercise is not valid at all, you should find a way round it.” The doctor said with finality.
But how about people who go for exercises and slump and die in the process?
Dr. Johnson said, “Yes that makes exercise to look bad, but I can tell you that 90-95% of sudden deaths are due to cholesterol build-up in the blood vessels. It causes blockage and damages to the heart and makes stop. There are some other causes of electrical problem to the heart. This might not be detected normally. Also, some people have certain types of enlarged heart that once detected, and you’d have to advise them not to go for exercises. So as you grow older, before you start an exercise, please have yourself examined to know that everything is fine and even know the type of exercise to go for.
“For footballers who drop dead on the pitch or top artistes as well, they must have had congenital problems, which put them at risk. In most professional sports, they do check them but sometimes, they miss one or two.”
Talking about signs of heart problems to watch out for, Dr. Johnson said the number one sign is chest pains.
“In Nigeria, we don’t take chest pain seriously. The best way to treat heart attack is to have the patient coming to the hospital within 6hours of the beginning of chest pain. There are things we can do at that point to reverse the damage, but after 6-12 hours, the damage is permanent, which can kill the person or leave permanent damage. Here, people who come early are foreigners, because they are sensitised to chest pains. Nigerians will prefer to rub balm or even take herbs and end up presenting such cases in the hospital after the damage is done and the complication of heart attack has set in. So it’s important that people should be aware.”
For women, notable signs to watch out for are shortness of breath, fast breath, sweating, inability to climb stairs case or discomfort in your left arm. Once you notice these symptoms, please go for medical check, it could be your lungs or your heart. People need to take their health seriously. The less meat you take, the better for you,” he warned.
At what age should someone stop taking meat? Johnson said, “At any age; even children should eat less meat so that when they grow they won’t have problems. So kids who eat healthy foods, most times when they grow up, their kids also eat healthy foods and vice versa. We need to reduce our sugar intake and carbohydrate intake if we have diabetes. Everything should be done in moderation.
High Cholesterol, a major cause of sudden death
According to Dr Johnson, “Another major cause of sudden death is our Cholesterol intake. There is this lie on the social media that cholesterol is no longer important. This is misinformation. Yes, cholesterol in the food is not dangerous, but there is the real cholesterol. There is saturated fats and the transfat cholesterol itself, which you find in Egg yolk, lobster, shrimp, which on its own in routine quantities is not dangerous because research has shown that these are not converted to bad cholesterol. But cholesterol in your blood put you at risk of heart troubles and stroke.
“Another is genetic disposition, which also puts you at risk. So, the less of animal protein such as meat you eat, the less your chances of getting heart attack. Eating fried food is also bad; so we advise people to fry food with little oil because the oil you use usually give you some fats which you don’t need.”
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