‘Stroke Maims 100,000 Nigerians Yearly’

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate the 2019 World Stroke Day, the Nigerian Stroke Organisation (NSO) says 100,000 stroke cases occur in the country every year.
The association said in a statement, yesterday, in Ibadan, Oyo State, that one in four persons have a risk of developing stroke in a lifetime.
Reports have it that the theme for the year is tagged: “Don’t Be The One”.
In the statement issued by its President, Prof. Abayomi Ogun, the association said that stroke was preventable if the risk factors were identified and controlled.
The statement said that recent research in the country revealed that the topmost 10 risk factors for stroke are hypertension, dyslipidemia, regular meat intake, central obesity and diabetes mellitus.
“Other top risk factors for stroke cases in the country include higher income level, stress, cardiac diseases, high salt intake and tobacco use; whilst green vegetable intake and physical activity are protective.
“The African continent has some of the highest rates of stroke worldwide.
“In Nigeria, stroke is the most common medical emergency in most hospitals and accounts for up to eight out of 10 neurological hospital admissions with at least 100,000 cases occurring every year.
“Therefore, interventions targeting these dominant risk factors have the potential to fast track progress on stroke prevention in Nigeria and indeed the African sub-region,” the statement read in part.