Chioma Umeha

By: Chioma Umeha Being angry could be dangerous to your heart. A new study in Australia found people’s risk of heart attack increases by 8.5 times two hours following an incident of extreme anger.  The researchers also found that high levels of anxiety can increase your risk even more – by up to 9.5 times. The findings were published in European Heart Journal: Acute Cardiovascular Care, an agency report said on Monday. Researchers at the University of Sydney found there is a two hour window following a burst of anger when the chance of having a heart attack spikes significantly. Some of the signs that anger has reached a dangerous level include a tensed-up body, clenched fists or teeth and ‘object throwing’, they said. Authors of the research also indicated that blood pressure reducing medication, like aspirin or beta-blockers prove beneficial. “Our findings confirm what has been suggested in prior studies and anecdotal evidence, even in films – that episodes of intense anger

By: Chioma Umeha Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood is too high because there is not enough of the hormone insulin. Lifestyle disease, as diabetes is called, refers to disorders resulting from the way people live, eat and interact with their environment. Diabetes is one of the various lifestyle disorders which have gripped many today.  Statistics  Although Nigeria lacks an aggregate data; physicians state that no fewer than six million Nigerians are living with diabetes mellitus. In India alone there are around 77 million people with pre-diabetes and 64 million people with diabetes which makes India the diabetes capital of the world next to China. This is expected to go up to a whopping 87 million – 8.4 per cent of the country’s adult population – by 2030. Yet, the common beliefs on this exude a sense of unfamiliarity with the disease that is killer in nature.  Discard diabetes from your home, kitchen  Not easily de

By: Chioma Umeha Imagine you smash your thumb with a hammer. You might shake your thumb instinctively, though that would not be helpful. This familiar swelling process is inflammation. Inflammation is the body’s attempt at self-protection; the aim being to remove harmful stimuli, including damaged cells, irritants, or pathogens – and begin the healing process. When something harmful or irritating affects a part of our body, there is a biological response to try to remove it.The signs and symptoms of inflammation, specifically acute inflammation, show that the body is trying to heal itself. Inflammation does not mean infection, even when an infection causes inflammation. Infection is caused by a bacterium, virus or fungus, while inflammation is the body’s response to it. When you hurt yourself, you experience acute inflammation, but it is only half of the picture, an agency report said. The bad kind of inflammation is silent and you may never know you have it, even after the da

By: Chioma Umeha •Govt told to make disease eradication priority – NIMR  Experts have said that 35 per cent of all cancers are linked to nutrition issues, and when added to that of lifestyle, they account for 85 per cent of all cancer cases. They therefore stated that 90 per cent of cancers are preventable, with improved healthy lifestyle and right diet even as they advised the public to eat balanced calorie in accordance to energy demand, as well as exercise regularly. The experts who spoke during a symposium organised by the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) to mark the World Cancer Day recently, advocated for the inclusion of cancer in the government’s priority list with a view to tackling the recent epidemic of the disease in the country.  L-R: Prof. Innocent Ujah, Director General (DG) of Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) Yaba, Lagos; Prof Rosaline Anorlu, South West Cancer Coordinator; Dr Jerry Iwuora, Consultant Physician with interest in Hi

By: Chioma Umeha To reduce the rate of infant and child mortality in African countries, Nestlé Nutrition Institute Africa (NNIA) is in partnership with the European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) to build capacity of young paediatricians. Dedicated to the science of nutrition in Africa, NNIA creates enabling platforms for health care professionals to discuss and share knowledge.  The ‘ESPGHAN Goes Africa’ partnership is a postgraduate course, which focuses on important clinical problems in paediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition. The course aims to give medical practitioners in the continent a platform for networking and interacting with each other on clinical and scientific problems in the various institutions and countries where they work. Since its inception, over 100 paediatricians have been trained from various countries in Africa so far.  This year’s participants were drawn from Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana, Ca

By: Chioma Umeha …Affects blood vessels, kidneys, brain, others Physicians have provided evidence that even in the absence of increase in blood pressure, excess dietary sodium can adversely affect target organs, including the blood vessels, heart, kidneys and the brain. Sodium is essential for fluid balance and cellular homeostasis, or maintenance of a stable internal environment in an organism. But the amount of salt needed to maintain homeostasis in adults is quite low – about 500 milligrams (mg) per day. On the contrary, many consume more than six times that much, which leads to high blood pressure in many people.New research has suggested that not everyone can eat salty snacks and convenience foods without having low blood pressure. A review paper co-authored by two faculty members in the University of Delaware College of Health Sciences and two physicians at the Christiana Care Health System provides evidence that even in the absence of an increase in blood pressure

By: Chioma Umeha Funmi’s excitement knew no bounds when she gave birth to a baby after 10 years of tortuous experience of childlessness. The obviously elated new mother and her heartthrob christened their new baby girl – Ayomide, meaning, ‘my joy has come.’ But, their happiness was punctuated when the baby began to show symptoms of cold and was diagnosed of pneumonia few days after birth. Funmi’s joy of motherhood became short-lived as Ayomide later tested positive to HIV and died before nine months. Ayomide is simply an example of the plight of millions of HIV- positive children with pneumonia. HIV-positive children are six times more probable to die from pneumonia than children not infected with the virus in developing countries. This was confirmed in the first worldwide study on the negative impact of pneumonia in HIV-positive children entitled: “Global, regional, and national estimates of pneumonia burden in HIV-infected children in 2010: A meta-analysis and modelling study,”

By: Chioma Umeha Children are increasingly vulnerable to recruitment and use by armed groups, as conflicts around the world become more brutal, intense and widespread, UNICEF and the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict said recently to mark the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers. “While Governments of the world have made progress to recognize children have no place in their armies, the recruitment of child soldiers is still a huge problem, especially with armed groups,” said Leila Zerrougui, the Special Representative of the Secretary- General for Children and Armed Conflict. ”Out of 59 parties to conflict identified by the Secretary-General for grave violations against children, 57 are named because they are recruiting and using child soldiers.”  UNICEF and the Office of the Special Representative call for urgent action to end grave violations against children including their recruitment and use by armed groups. Parties to conflicts must

By: Chioma Umeha As the world counts down to 2015, experts are anxious over the increasing rate of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV in Lagos State. The State is one of the 12 States, in addition to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and it accounts for 70 per cent of the country’s burden of MTCT of HIV. To eliminate MTCT of HIV in line with Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) number six, there is urgent need for the State to increase efforts, if it must meet the 2015 deadline. Data from the Lagos State Bureau of Statistics confirmed that with a population of 22 million, Lagos, with a HIV prevalence of 5.1, is one of the 12+1 States that account for 70 percent of the nation’s burden of children born with HIV based on the 2010 National HIV Sero – Prevalence Sentinel Survey. In view of this, the State government has commenced a campaign to accelerate the Prevention of Mother-to-child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) aimed at reducing maternal death in the State. It is against t

 By: Chioma Umeha • No, we did our best for her under the circumstance – LUTH Ag CMD Perhaps, if the newly signed National Health Act which provides for free medical care for pregnant women and under-five children has become enforceable, Mrs. Folake Oduyoye who died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) from complications due to a caesarean section procured at a private hospital, Midas Touch Clinic, Aguda, Surulere,Lagos, could have been prevented. According to her husband, Adeyemi Oduyoye, 35- Folake Oduyoye died on December 13, this year at LUTH, Idi-Araba, Lagos, due to negligence of LUTH occasioned by the inability of the family to pay over N1.3 million cost of medicare incurred from over one month that his wife was hospitalized at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of LUTH where she was referred to after infections from the CS led to sepsis that required another surgery. Adeyemi lamented that the hospital detained and did not allowed his wife to seek help elsewhere, e