Thursday, December 13, 2012

Over 40,000 people with hypertension in Gambia


About 40,627 people in the country are living with hypertension, high blood pressure, according to data provided by the director of Health Promotion and Education Directorate of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. 

Hypertension is one of the several risk factors that can increase one’s chance of developing heart disease, stroke, and other serious conditions.

The figure, though high, is lower than the 55,563 people with hypertension in 2011. 

World Health Organization has ranked hypertension as 12 among the top 20 causes of death in the Gambia.

The data from the Directorate of Health Promotion and Education was made available during a daylong sensitization workshop on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) prevention and control for journalists held at the conference room of the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital in Banjul on 30 November 2012.

For diabetes, the data indicate that 3,337 people have the disease in 2011 and it has increased to 4,734 in 2012. 

According to the WHO, diabetes is the 7 among top 20 causes of death in The Gambia.

The rate of diabetes in The Gambia is said to be alarming.

The Director of Health Promotion and Education, Modou Njai, said non-communicable diseases are of real concern to The Gambia government and the Ministry of Health and should be a concern to the general public as well. 

The NCDs are becoming a problem in both developed and developing countries, he said, adding that NCDs now top the agenda of any health meeting both nationally and internationally.

Dr Jagne of the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital said hypertension and diabetes, like other non-communicable diseases, are not only problems in terms of deaths but they also impose huge economic burden on both individuals and governments.

He said they put more burden on people than infectious diseases do.


He said a person living with diabetes, hypertension and other non-communicable disease would need counseling, treatment, support, and medical investigation every month, which are costly.

Dr Kebba S. Bojang, Department of Internal Medicine at the RVTH, said the two most common NCDs seen at the hospital are hypertension and diabetes.

In a presentation on diet-related NCDs, Isatou Jeng of National Nutrition Agency, said hypertension patient, if overweight, should prioritise weight loss.

She said a hypertension patient should reduce sodium intake. 

“This can be achieved by using less salt in cooking or adding less salt to food, and decreasing the consumption of processed foods,” she said. 

She said hypertension patient should take more of fruits and vegetables, which elevate potassium intake in addition to their cardio-protective properties. 

Alcohol consumption should not exceed 1-2 units a day and less may be advisable in people who are overweight, she noted.

For diabetes, Mrs Jeng noted that mortality rate is higher in people with diabetes than in their non-diabetic counterparts.

Although some deaths still occur from the effects of diabetes, most results from the chronic complications are associated with the disease.

On the nutritional recommendations for diabetic patients, she said a meal pattern of three evenly sized meals and three smaller snacks per day is ideal, but this will vary between individuals according to the demands of medication, lifestyle and individual preference.

“The important aspect is that an appropriate meal pattern, whatever that is for a particular person, remains relatively constant from day to day,” she said.

“Bread, cereal foods and potatoes should form the largest component of meals and snacks. Quantity and timing is important. These need to be fairly constant from day to day.”

She said fruits and vegetables have major health benefits for people with diabetes.  

She also said a diabetes patient should reduce the intake of salt, and also should be more physically active. 
The patient should keep to a minimum consumption of fat-rich and sugar-rich foods.

Momodou Gassama, Health Promotion officer of WHO Country Office in The Gambia, said NCDs, including hypertension and diabetes, are the world’s number one killer, causing 60% of deaths globally

He said NCDs are chronic and expensive to deal with, saying they are projected to cost the world some US47 trillion by 2050.

21 comments:

  1. Also, it could only require a little over three years
    to complete. ll understand what you have to do in order to solve your
    basic problems. Also, be sure to have both the training and experience, which are needed before you
    even think of applying.
    Have a look at my website ... http://en.gravatar.com/huxicyy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Also, it could only require a little over three years to complete.

    There are also those who deal with athletes who need a private physio therapist to ascertain their health condition in a frequent interval.
    RTs can also explore the option of branching out into business roles with equipment manufacturers,
    or join the world of research and academics.
    my page - atypical depression symptoms dsm

    ReplyDelete
  3. My coder is trying to convince me to move to .
    net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses.

    But he's tryiong none the less. I've been using Movable-type on
    a number of websites for about a year and am concerned
    about switching to another platform. I have heard excellent things about blogengine.

    net. Is there a way I can import all my wordpress content into it?
    Any help would be greatly appreciated!
    Review my website :: Personal Site

    ReplyDelete
  4. You're so awesome! I don't think I have read anything
    like this before. So nice to discover somebody with some genuine thoughts on this
    topic. Seriously.. thanks for starting this up.
    This website is something that is needed on the internet, someone with a bit of originality!
    Have a look at my web-site - Www.borg-krems.ac.at

    ReplyDelete
  5. Howdy, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one
    and i was just wondering if you get a lot of spam remarks?
    If so how do you stop it, any plugin or anything you can suggest?

    I get so much lately it's driving me crazy so any assistance is very much appreciated.
    Here is my homepage ; www

    ReplyDelete
  6. It's going to be end of mine day, except before finish I am reading this impressive article to improve my experience.
    Here is my weblog ; Acheter MitoslimLes r gimes Mitoslim

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think the admin of this site is genuinely working hard
    for his web page, for the reason that here every information is quality based information.
    Also see my page > football transfer news

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your web site, how can i subscribe for a blog website?

    The account aided me a acceptable deal. I had been tiny bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright clear idea
    My site :: latestbyte.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. This article will assist the internet people for
    building up new blog or even a blog from start to end.
    Here is my webpage : Androsolve And Muscle Core X

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wonderful blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers?

    I'm planning to start my own blog soon but I'm a little lost on everything.
    Would you propose starting with a free platform like Wordpress or go for a paid option?
    There are so many options out there that I'm totally confused .. Any recommendations? Kudos!

    Here is my blog ... KoTex vouchers ebay

    ReplyDelete
  11. Very nice post. I simply stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to mention that I've truly enjoyed browsing your weblog posts. After all I'll be subscribing on your rss feed and I am
    hoping you write once more very soon!

    Also visit my website - Philadelphia's Cream mozerella discounts 2012

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hello there! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering which blog
    platform are you using for this website? I'm getting sick and tired of Wordpress because I've had problems with hackers and I'm looking at alternatives for another platform. I would be great if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.

    Here is my weblog :: coupons
    My web page :: coupons

    ReplyDelete
  13. This blog was... hoω do I say it? Relevant!

    ! FÑ–nally I've found something which helped me. Appreciate it!

    My weblog ... SEOPressor

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's awesome in support of me to have a web page, which is valuable in support of my experience. thanks admin

    Look into my web page - nuvagenicsite.net
    Also see my website > http://Facebook-egy.com/

    ReplyDelete
  15. And in addition to the iPhone 5 brings that up another notch -- and not just because protostars are
    especially difficult to detect due to the method and
    in particular timing of application. We're still far from replacing silicon with more efficient oxides given the early state of IBM's work, but the company is confident that it's knocked it out sexcam of the case.

    My blog sex cam

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hello, I believe your website could be having internet
    browser compatibility problems. When I take
    a look at your blog in Safari, it looks fine however when opening
    in IE, it has some overlapping issues. I simply wanted to give you
    a quick heads up! Aside from that, great site!

    Here is my homepage - Snoring Mask

    ReplyDelete
  17. For latest information you have to pay a visit world wide web and on
    internet I found this web site as a finest web page for most
    recent updates.

    Visit my homepage; as seen on tv

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm amazed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog that's both equally educative and entertaining, and let me tell
    you, you've hit the nail on the head. The problem is an issue that not enough men and women are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy that I came across this during my hunt for something regarding this.

    My web-site: www.osteopatiacreso.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks a lot for sharing this with all of us you really
    understand what you're talking approximately! Bookmarked. Please additionally seek advice from my website =). We could have a link trade agreement between us

    Here is my weblog: Krystallnacht.Com

    ReplyDelete
  20. We are a gaggle of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community.

    Your site offered us with useful information to work on.
    You have performed a formidable task and our whole community will probably be thankful
    to you.

    My site - Http://partycrusher.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks for sharing your info. I truly appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your further write ups thanks once again.

    My website :: m88

    ReplyDelete