A professor of cardiology at the University of Bayero University, Kano, Kamilu Karaye, speaks to EMMANUEL OJO about atherosclerosis, its risk factors and management

what is atherosclerosis?

Atherosclerosis simply implies that there is a blockade, a lump mainly made of fat, blocking one or more arteries in the body. It’s usually a lump of fat but some cells also work together with the fat to block arteries and this is the most important cause of heart attack if it blocks the artery that supplies the heart with blood.

A Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon, Dr. Olanrewaju Idris, has cautioned against ignoring snoring, noting that it is an abnormal development that should not be taken for granted. The ENT expert urged men who snore to seek medical intervention, warning that the condition when not properly evaluated and treated could cause impotence in men.

Dr. Idris also stated that snoring when not properly managed could lead to social problems in the life of those battling with it. Dr. Idris who works at the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Kwara State, noted that most people who snore are not aware that they are snoring until someone tells them or a video of their sleep is recorded and shown to them.

A health expert has urged men battling low sex drive to seek help from experts to know the cause of the condition, noting that reduced desire for sex is often treatable once the cause is established.

Dr. Gabriel Ogah, a urologist, explained that the most common reason men experience low sex drive is often due to a decrease in the function of the male hormone called testosterone. The expert said when the level of this hormone decreases, a man will have a very poor and reduced desire for sex.

A Consultant Paediatrician, Nephrology Division at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, Dr. Abdurrazzaq Alege, has said that more under-five children come down with severe malaria in the rainy season because they are often exposed to more bites from mosquitoes during the period.

According to the health expert, mosquitoes tend to bread more during the rainy season because of the increase in stagnant water around residential houses. He urged parents to protect their children against mosquito bites, noting that hospital admission of children under five with malaria is usually higher in the rainy season.

A Public Health physician at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Prof. Tanimola Akande, has cautioned Nigerians to be wary of offers of free trips abroad from spurious persons. He noted that such offers of free foreign travel are being used to trick people into organ harvesting scams.

The physician said that Nigerians are already dying from these organ harvesting scams, urging the citizens to be alert and wary of sudden offers of free trips overseas to seek greener pastures even when such offers come from seemingly close family and friends.

A consultant gynaecologist, Dr. Stanley Egbogu, has warned women against using natural remedies for the removal of fibroids. Egbogu who works at Nnamdi Azikwe Teaching Hospital, Awka, Anambra, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Lagos.

Fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the womb (uterus). The growths are made up of muscle and fibrous tissue and vary in size. Egbogu said that many women take medicines that claim to be effective in removing fibroids.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has cautioned Nigerian women against the use of Placentyne Hair Lotion for hair breakage, noting that the product has been banned.

The agency said the alert on the product is issued as a result of safety information gotten from the European Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products. The NAFDAC public alert with No. 0033/2022 signed by NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, was posted on the official website of NAFDAC.

A Professor of Paediatric Endocrinology at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Abiola Oduwole, says obese children are now coming down with Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

Prof. Oduwole who is also a Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital stated that children with obesity experience the same problem that adults with obesity experience, warning parents to be wary of their children’s lifestyle and eating habits.

A medical researcher, Dr. Dan Onwujekwe, has urged Nigerians using public toilets to pay attention to the hygiene of the ones they use, warning that Hepatitis B and C infections could be acquired from them.

He noted that people could acquire the viral infection if there is direct contact with the blood or open sores of a person who had been infected. According to the expert, people should disinfect public toilets with bleach before using them to avoid exposing themselves to the risk of infections.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has urged Lagos residents to exercise caution with the consumption of water from boreholes, warning that water gotten from boreholes and wells in Lagos is not fit for human consumption.

According to the commissioner, water from boreholes in Lagos is not even suitable for animals because tests have confirmed its contamination by very dangerous pathogens. Prof. Abayomi said the presence of very dangerous pathogens in water aquifers has been confirmed in water from boreholes around Lagos, noting that some residents have even come down with infections after consuming borehole water.