BAC D 2009

Hypertension
    The President of the Nigerian Hypertension Society, Professor Ambrose Isah, advised Nigerians to check their blood regularly to enable them to take appropriate action to avoid sudden death from hypertension and its related complications such as diabetes and stroke.
    He explained that the world over, hypertension has been appreciated as a problem which has prompted the International Society of Hypertension indicate that 1.5 billion people are hypertensive worldwide while hypertension and its related diseases account for eight million worldwide annually. […]
    “Definitely it is a problem and we also confirm that with the awareness campaign we have been mounting here and there, we are seeing or picking up more and more persons who are hypertensive and at times, some of them have really blood pressure. So it is a problem that needs to be addressed”, Professor Isah said.
    He also said that it is important to clarify the type of hypertension: we have primary and secondary hypertension. We don’t know the cause but we know that genetic pre-disposition is a very important issue. Some other factors which might be at play are salt intake and weight.
    Things like the disorder of the kidney, alcohol, endocrine or hormonal organ malformation and some drugs might cause an increase in the blood pressure as well.
    Blood pressure rises with age normally. But even after you have developed hypertension, there are certain things you can put in place: avoid unnecessary salt intake, foods that contain a lot of fats, competitive sports.
    Rather, develop healthy habits such as eating the right food with more fruits and vegetables, doing exercise and checking blood pressure regularly.

Adapted from Daily Sun, June 3rd, 2008

Vocabulary

Stroke: a sudden attack of illness in the brain with loss of feeling power to move.

Guided Commentary

1)    According to the text, why is it necessary to control blood pressure? (3 pts)
2)    Find in the text three (3) possible causes of hypertension. (3 pts)
3)    What shows in the text that hypertension is a dangerous disease? (4 pts)
4)    Relying on the text, how can a person with hypertension avoid further complications? (4 pts)
5)    Hypertension is a serious worldwide public health issue, what do you suggest to address it? (6 pts)