Recently, Essien Etop Andrew, the deputy comptroller in charge of revenue at the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), slumped and died while responding to questions at the Public Account Committee of the House of Representatives.

In February, no fewer than five Nigerians lost their lives while watching the intense semi-final match between Nigeria and South Africa at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d‘Ivoire.

The wave of sudden death syndrome has raised concerns. ‘Dying without any sign or illness’ seems to be on the rise in our society.

There are many Nigerians who walk around believing they are healthy but they are not. Many people do not even know that they have high blood pressure and sometimes, it doesn’t really show any symptoms so it causes sudden death.

There are so many physical reasons why someone may just slump and die. It could be due to lack of exercise, not eating the right foods, smoking, as well as other reasons.

Experts have revealed that for anybody to slump and die, two vital organs of the body must be involved. These are the heart and the brain.

The heart Is a major organ that has to function optimally, and during intense physical activities, the heart works more, pumping blood adequately to support the brain.

The tragedy of these calamities is that most people are not aware that they have hypertension and diabetes – the two conditions that predispose people to suffer stroke or heart attack and kidney diseases.

People are increasingly dying of treatable diseases due to ignorance, unholy deception and misinformation. These are preventable health issues.

The most important thing is for people to go for checkups regularly. Most importantly, if you have a family history of heart problems or other health conditions, go for a regular checkup.

The Important way to live healthily is to go for a checkup, live healthily and avoid smoking, excessive alcohol, a sedentary lifestyle and excessive consumption of unhealthy foods.

Causes of slumping and dying

Sudden death is most often caused by heart disease. When blood vessels narrow, the heart muscle can become irritated because of a lack of blood supply.

In a heart attack (acute myocardial infarction), a blood vessel becomes completely blocked by a blood clot, and there is enough irritability of the muscle to cause ventricular fibrillation.

In fact, the reason many people with chest pain are admitted to the hospital is to monitor their heart rate and rhythm for signs that might lead to ventricular fibrillation. Sudden death may also be the first sign or symptom of heart disease.

Congestive heart failure and heart valve problems, like aortic stenosis which is narrowing of the aortic valve also increase the risk of sudden cardiac arrest. (The Nation)

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