Prof. Mayowa Owolabi, a Professor of Neurology, University of Ibadan, has underscored the need for government to make screening for hypertension and stroke mandatory to reduce the burden.

He made the call in Ibadan on Thursday while delivering an inaugural lecture at University of Ibadan, on behalf of Department of Medicine, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine.

The lecture was entitled “Exploring the Stroke Quadrangle Through the Transomics and Spiritual Binoculars: Two Wings of an Eagle.”

Owolabi noted that concerted actions were required to improve surveillance, prevention, acute care and rehabilitation to reduce the burden of stroke among Africans.

He added that people must mind their dietary habits, and government needed to help by mandating screening, treatment, control of hypertension and risk factors for stroke.

He said “we need to empower everybody to monitor his/her cardiovascular risk factors, especially hypertension.

“One out of every two or three African adults are hypertensive and they need to be detected and treated.

“Only seven per cent as we speak know that they are hypertensive and are on treatment and under control.

“So, making screening mandatory will help a great deal, so that people will know their status and treatment will commence to manage the situation.”

The neurologist said “one useful thing found very useful is daily consumption of green leafy vegetables to prevent stroke.

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“Stroke is a major problem on the African continent. Since 2019, stroke and its risk factors are now the number one killer on the continent and it is not receiving adequate attention.

“So, we thought of how we can defeat stroke on the continent; how do we prevent, beat it and reduce its burden.

“Therefore, we came with the idea of stroke quadrangle, with four key things that we need to do.

“The first one is to measure the burden of stroke and track it because without this we will not be able to control the burden or know when we are controlling it.

“Then we also need to identify the risk factors, the reason why it occurs so that we can use that to prevent it (epidemiological surveillance).”

He explained that the second pillar was prevention across the entire life course; primarily prevention, which was before the stroke itself occured and secondary prevention, in whom the stroke occurred. “

Owolabi noted that more importantly was “primordial prevention”, which meant preventing people from developing the risk factors for stroke, hypertension, diabetes or high cholesterol.

“And that is possible if people eat healthy and exercise moderately, while the third pillar is acute care for those who already developed stroke, what can we do to help them to recover?.

“And the last pillar is rehabilitation and how to help people to regain their health.”

He, therefore, emphasised the need to ensure the health of the people by the people and for the people.