Medical expert identifies major cause of sudden deaths in Nigeria, other countries

A professor of haematology, Theresa Nwagha, has said that blood clots also known as Venous Thromboembolism (VTE), remain the major cause of sudden deaths globally.

Ms Nwagha stated this on Thursday in Enugu while delivering the 252nd Inaugural Lecture of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), with the topic: “The Balance of Blood Fluidity: From Bleeding to Clotting in Health and Disease”.

She explained that VTE occurs when blood clots form in the veins and block normal blood flow, revealing that about 10 million cases of blood clots occur globally each year, resulting in about two million deaths.

The blood specialist said blood clots could affect both sick and apparently healthy people, sometimes leading to sudden death.

According to her, 25 per cent of the time, there are no symptoms concerning blood clots.

The professor of haematology and coagulation medicine listed the VTE risk factors to include prolonged sitting, obesity, stress and long-distance journeys lasting more than four hours.

She stressed the need to always assess the risk of thrombosis or blood clots to prevent sudden deaths popularly known as “Fall and Die”.

She explained that sitting for long periods, especially while working on computers, could cause blood to remain stagnant in the lower legs, increasing the risk of clot formation.

She added that blood clots could sometimes be mistaken for muscle injuries, exercise-induced asthma or ordinary fatigue.

The professor called for hospital-wide risk assessment and preventive treatment, known as thromboprophylaxis, to reduce cases of VTE.

She called for the integration of VTE awareness and early identification into primary healthcare.

Factors affecting efforts to improve VTE management

Ms Nwagha said low public awareness, gaps in medical training and the loss of healthcare professionals to migration, popularly known as “Japa syndrome”, have affected efforts to improve VTE management.

She said these challenges contributed to the establishment of the UNTH Anticoagulation Steward Committee by the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH).

“We want to convert anticoagulation from a fearfully understood clinical hazard into a highly disciplined standard life-saving medical act,” she said.

The professor also highlighted the importance of multidisciplinary care for women, particularly during pregnancy and other reproductive health conditions where blood clotting could pose serious risks.

According to her, proper teamwork among healthcare professionals could improve outcomes for women at risk.

“Women on oral contraceptive, IVF, high doses of oesterogene and even athletes are at risk of thrombosis,” she said.

Ms Nwagha further discussed the use of digital health and Artificial Intelligence as tools for improving VTE risk assessment and providing more precise care.

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Commendations

Earlier, the UNN Vice-Chancellor, Simon Ortuanya, represented by J.U.J Onwumere, congratulated Ms Nwagha for the inaugural lecture and encouraged her to do more research on haematology and coagulation.

Dignitaries at the event, including former minister of power, Chinedu Nebo, as well as families and friends, commended Ms Nwagha for her immense contributions to safeguarding public health in the country.