A distance and young colleague slumped and died during a meeting at the Office.
image credit: canva
Yesterday was a sad day for the Niger State office of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) here in Nigeria where a young man (less than 40 years) slumped and died. He was in the middle of an office meeting and was the person talking when he was noticed to gradually slump and die. It was shocking and scary and even those of us here in Kwara State Office were shocked at the rude loss.
This called for concern in my Office as non-medical colleagues expressed concern as possible cause(s) of sudden death. It was a sad moment yet, an opportunity for a little enlightenment. During the course of my few years of practice, though we never say never in medicine, we have seen increased incidents of supposedly ailments/diseases commoner with the elderly. I happened to manage a man aged 28 years for cardiovascular accident (stroke) and in another patient, a 17 year old lady for congestive heart failure. These are few examples of reported incidents of perceived diseases common among the elderly now unfortunately rampant in the younger generation. I will attempt to mention a few points though can't be exhaustive.
Poor period Medical Check up: this is very much underestimated as salient symptoms can be picked by the medical Practitioner, investigated and followed up appropriately. Majority of disease conditions present late and hence have poor prognosis perhaps worsened by the psychology impact. It would be a better chance if the symptoms are picked early and the disease condition managed appropriately. There are chronic illnesses that have been successfully managed for decades. Neglect of minor or major symptoms contribute to late diagnosis and hence, poor prognosis.
Lifestyle effect: I interacted with a lady early hours of this morning who has given birth to two children and claims to be an introvert. She said she would rather make an order for items she needs (including foodstuff) than walk to the supermarket or grocery store. I should state that she is less than 35 years of age and of moderate bdy mass index (BMI). I had to encourage her to step out, get more exposures, do some home exercises, take walks occasionally, etc.
Also is careful lifestyle practice such as safe sexual practices, avoidance of needle pricks, vaccinations such as hepatitis vaccine etc.Reduced alcohol consumption, cigarettes smoking and substance drug abuse: These factors have their negative impact on health of individuals and some diseases have been attributed to these risk factors. We are thus encouraged to cut down some of these harmful practices including the use of herbal concoction. It is generally advised to not use drugs not recommended by a certified medical personnel.
Genetics: most disease conditions have genetic risk factors. Diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, glaucoma, cancer etc. A good number of diseases should be evaluated for in offsprings and screening should be done as necessary. It is thus very important that extra caution be taken when we have underlying genetic risk factors that may predispose an individual to a full blown disease condition.
Stressors: rest is said to be the first treatment in medicine. A good number of disease conditions are preventable when adequate rest is received. Walking up and down work is not a form of exercise. An exercise is not mentally draining. It is a focused locomotive movement aimed at fat reduction/redistribution and it is usually done regularly. I hope I can get a day to talk on alternate ways of obesity reduction. Though I am a Doctor, drugs are not necessarily the first choice of treatments. We should identify stressors and limit them.
Improved access to healthcare: prior to now, nations have and are still struggling with data on health conditions. The improved statistics and access to healthcare has helped to bring to light the incidence and prevalence of diseases which may have been existing before without adequate data to reflect their prevalence.
There are other number of preventable conditions that can help to improve and increase our lives. Beyond a prolonged life, we must enjoy a healthy life both physically and mentally.
Thank you for reading through, I hope this helps us a little and your comments and contributions are welcome.