MEDICAL experts have identified sedentary lifestyle, increase intake of junk foods, obesity, complications of hypertension and diabetes, infectious diseases, road traffic accidents and heart attack as the major causes of sudden deaths in Nigeria. They recommend that community interventions targeted at interrupting transmission of these infections and routine population screening for early detection of the causative factors should be vigorously pursued. They say public enlightenment, good road maintenance and safe driving culture as well as sustainable security for life and property would reduce the incidence of preventable deaths.

 IT is on the increase. It is no respecter of age, sex, tribe, religion, social status and state. It comes with little or no prior notice. Most times it completes its mission in a matter of seconds. Sudden death is on the prowl!

"I saw him yesterday. We played, cracked jokes and laughed. He did not show any sign of ill health. There was nothing wrong with him. But he collapsed and died."

This scenario is fast becoming the order of the day. From the late University of Lagos Vice Chancellor, Prof. Adetokunbo Babatunde Sofoluwe, who collapsed and died, to the Italian footballer, Piermario Morosini, the story is the same: Sudden death especially due to heart attack.

Prof. Sofoluwe died on May 12. He died of a heart attack he suffered at a meeting on Friday night.

Morosini, former Italy under-21 footballer died on April 13, 2012, following a suspected heart attack on the pitch.

In Kwara State, lifestyle changes are harbingers of sudden deaths

The Provost, College of Medicine, University of Ilorin, Prof. Ayo Omotosho, has canvassed total abstinence from fast food as a veritable panacea to cardiac arrest.

A renowned cardiologist, Omtosho said that, "occurrence of sudden death is not a new phenomenon in our society, and cannot also be localized. The fact of it is that we are just becoming more aware of it. Sudden death results from cardiovascular pathology conditions that have to do with the heart and the blood vessels."

To him, lipid rich diets have the propensity to increase the cholesterol level. He advised those with family history of sudden deaths to visit their doctors as they remain prone to cardiac arrest. Besides, he warned those in the habit of making the heart "to electrically misbehave" by way of ingesting into their systems stimulants like cocaine or heroin, noting that such a way of life could trigger off cardiac arrest.

He advised "we should shun the eating and social habits of the Western world, they are parts of the risk factors of sudden death. We should replace such food with our traditional food. We should avoid the rat race, as that age is over. We should have enough time to rest. A male is more prone to developing pulmonary heart disease than a woman. A woman can only develop this at certain age of life. Again we should stop the ingestion of stimulant especially cocaine, leading to disturbance of the rhythm of the heart or causing dangerous cardiac arrhythmias."

Omotosho urged Nigerians to exercise regularly at least three to four times per week. Besides, he encouraged them to eat more vegetable while those already diagnosed of the causative diseases should see their doctors frequently and should also take their pills as recommended by their doctors.

According to the UITH researchers, community interventions targeted at interrupting transmission of these infections and population screening for early detection of hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and cancers should be vigorously pursued.

The International Journal of Tropical Medicine Year study noted that there is urgent need for community interventions targeted at interrupting TB, HIV and hepatitis B transmission with provision of free treatment for patients who are infected with these diseases.