African medics have expressed concern over the sharp increase in the number of cardiovascular diseases in the continent.The medics drawn from Africa who had converged in Nairobi for the 5th Annual Cardiovascular Summit in Nairobi also called for joint efforts from the health sector and government to stem rising cases of the diseases in the continent. There is need for closer engagement with policy makers to chart a way of containing this situation as it threatens to get out of hand. Africa is the worst hit compared to her peers across the world, Pfizer Medical Director, Pfizer Nigeria and East Africa region Dr Kodjo Soroh told journalists in Nairobi.The medical experts declared that non-communicable diseases related to the heart and cancer was rising to pandemic levels, a situation that was causing concern across the continent. Experts say mortality rates associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are escalating quickly in low and middle-income countries, even as those in the West continue to fall.Compared to wealthier countries, CVD affects people at a younger age in sub-Saharan Africa, which increases its economic impact. Statistics from the summit indicated that an average of 37 million people suffer from cardiovascular diseases annually. Out this number, 17 million ie, 80 percent of who come from developing countries mostly in Africa. Medics warn that the deaths could rise to 23.6 million by the year 2030 if no drastic measures to check the spread are put in place urgently.The Nairobi summit was organized by global pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer International and is aimed at bringing doctors from across the continent together to discuss emerging trends in the industry. The medics attributed the sharp rise in cardiovascular disease currently standing at 24 percent across the country to poor dietary habits, lack of access to medical facilities and a general bad trend in lifestyle, most associated with junk food, smoking and excessive alcohol intake.According to Dr. Harun Otieno of the Head of Cardiovascular Department at Aga Kahn University Hospital, its worrying that the lifestyles are changing for the worst. More and more people have taken up smoking, people do not have access to physical fitness facilities making current interventions inadequate. This is despite the fact that 80 per cent of cardiovascular conditions are preventable, said Otieno.He said there was a worrying trend where cardiovascular diseases were rising so fast almost competing communicable diseases like TB and Malaria.Experts say contributing factors to cardiovascular diseases include poverty, urbanization, tobacco use, inactivity and consumption of salty, high-fats and processes foods. HIV is also a contributor, since people living with the scourge – particularly those on antiretroviral therapy (ARP) – are at increased risks for CVD as well as for other chronic diseases. Developing countries like Kenya are bearing the brunt of this situation as there are not adequate facilities and specialists in this field. The cost of treating these conditions is also inhibitive, said Otieno.It takes an average of 5,000 dollars to perform a basic heart operation in Kenya. Any other complications drive the cost even further out of reach for many Kenyan households especially the low and middle income cadre. According to Dr. Ola Akinboboye, a heart specialist based in the USA, there is need for increased awareness among the people on the dangers of various lifestyles and diets. The best intervention in taming this situation is for people to be trained and made aware of the repercussions of living dangerous lifestyles.People must be made to partake more natural foods and avoid junk, smoking and excessive alcohol, said Akinboboye. He said developed countries had embraced this awareness and the figures were going down drastically. We are seeing a decline in cases of cardiovascular diseases in Europe and United States but a rise in such cases in the developing world caused primarily by change in lifestyle, Akinboboye said. In developing countries the cases are widespread as opposed to the west where cardiovascular diseases are more prominent among the elderly.In African countries more than half of cardiovascular diseases deaths occur among people between 30 and 69 years of age, an age 10 years or more below the equivalent group in Europe and North America,Dr. Akinboboye said. Xinhua
