5-yr-olds prone to hypertension – Expert

A Professor of Medicine at the University of Ilorin, Emmanuel Okoro, has warned that children of Nigerian parents with history of High Blood Pressure (HBP) can develop hypertension as early as five years of age.

Okoro, of the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, said that “studies have shown that the rise of HP with age is more in affluent urban neighbourhoods than in rural and  less affluent city areas.
“And this BP divergence by place of residence is apparent even in subjects as young 5-6 years,” he said.

He stated this in the University of Ilorin’s 143rd inaugural lecture, where he delivered a paper titled ‘Towards Better Prevention/Control of Hypertension and Diabetes’.
The university teacher said studies had also shown that “teenagers whose biological parents have HBP and DM2 also exhibit higher BP readings, compared to their counterparts without such family history”.

He recommended early dietary control with low salt intake and cholesterol in children to become an integral part of them.
Okoro urged those suffering from diseases (HBP/DM2) to stick to the same “professionals and avoid using drugs and test recommended for friends and relations” because of treatment variability and the different therapeutic needs of people with the diseases.