Young Nigerians are facing an unprecedented surge in hypertension cases, a development a leading cardiologist says signals a looming national health crisis. Professor Chizindu Alikor, Chief Medical Director of Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, warned that high blood pressure is “no longer a sickness for the old” as cases among people as young as 18 continue to rise sharply.
Speaking during the 123rd Inaugural Lecture of Rivers State University, Alikor described the human heart as the “silent active engine” burdened by lifestyle habits now common across the country. He linked the surge in heart-related diseases to excessive salt intake, refined sugars, obesity, unmanaged diabetes and chronic stress.
The cardiologist revealed that his long-term research shows cardiovascular risk factors were already high in the Niger Delta two decades ago — but are now rapidly increasing, especially in rural communities and among young adults. He disclosed that clustering of risk factors among people aged 18 to 39 has climbed to 15%, a trend he described as “deeply worrisome.”
Urbanisation, he added, is accelerating the crisis as traditional diets and physical activity are replaced by sedentary living and heavy reliance on processed foods. Men, according to his findings, show a higher burden of cardiovascular risk compared to women in the region.
Heart failure and stroke dominate hospital admissions in the Niger Delta, Alikor noted, warning that symptoms such as palpitations should be treated as urgent medical red flags. He urged Nigerians to regularly monitor their blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol, recounting cases where even university professors unknowingly lived with dangerously high readings of 200/150.
To tackle the crisis, he proposed the “Alikor Survival Network Model,” a system that places responsibility on individuals, families and the healthcare sector to work collectively on prevention. He stressed that diets rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains remain the most effective line of defense against cardiovascular decline.
Rivers State University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, commended the research, saying poor infrastructure, poverty and rising stress levels are fuelling diseases that threaten productivity. He reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to producing research that answers Nigeria’s most pressing health challenges.
