A Consultant Neurologist, Dr Kolawole Wahab of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, on Wednesday, said there was no proven herbal treatment for stroke and hypertension.

Wahab said this at the World Stroke Day celebration organised by the Stroke Unit of UITH at Oke-Oyi in Ilorin East Local Government.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Oct. 29 is World Stroke Day to spread awareness about stroke and educate people on the warning signs.

The consultant neurologist said "as of today, there is no herbal remedy that can cure stroke or hypertension.

"Any herb approved by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on stroke is on safety and not on the chemical component of the herb."

Wahab said no fewer than 1,000 people would undergo screening for hypertension, diabetes and high blood pressure to detect any health risk factor.

He said scaring statistics had shown that one out of six people was at risk of developing stroke every second.

According to him, one person dies of stroke every six seconds, while one developes stroke every second.

He added that 17 million people suffered stroke across the world, while six million people died of stroke annually.

A study carried out in 2008 revealed that many people with hypertension and diabetics never knew they had the ailment and, therefore, advised people to always go for regular medical check up to know their blood pressure and sugar level.

He said hypertension was the commonest symptom of stroke, hence, the decision to screen people for blood pressure and sugar level.

Wahab advised people to be mindful of what they eat, saying that diet could lead to hypertension.

According to him, obese people are more prone to hypertension because of the likely blockage of veins carrying blood to the brain.

He appealed to the state government to adequately staff healthcare centres in the state to enable people to go for regular medical checkup.

Hajiya Abiodun Jiddah, the Vice Chairman, Ilorin East Local Government, commended UITH for the screening and the public awareness on stroke and hypertension.

Jiddah said many people in the rural areas were ignorant of stroke and hypertension, adding that the awareness campaign would enable them to know their health status. (NAN)