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A Professor of Cardiology at the University of Jos, Plateau State, Basil Okeahialam has warned that the current high humidity levels in some regions of the country can cause significant damage to heart health if not treated properly.
He issued the warning during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday in Umuahia, Abia State.
Okeahialam stated that persons who are predisposed to developing hypertension and other heart problems will most likely do so sooner under the current weather circumstances if due care is not followed.
He said, “Yes, definitely, it does; high humidity has adverse effects on heart health; there is something we call Thermal stress.
“When the temperature is high and humidity is high, the body comes under what we call intense thermal stress because much pressure is put up on the heart to make it work harder.
He explained that it is the process of working to normalize body temperature to suit proper body functioning that keeps thermal stress on the heart.
According to him, when the heart comes under thermal stress, a healthy heart would cope reasonably, adding, “But if the heart is diseased, and needs rest to function optimally but is under thermal stress and you are giving it excess fluid, it could go into heart failure.
The cardiology professor further noted that under high-humidity weather conditions, people lose fluids and electrolytes through sweating, which is the body’s mechanism for heat removal from the body.
Okeahialam noted that drinking water alone was not enough as it could cause other problems in the body if electrolytes are not replaced.
He, however, advised people to stay in cool places, wear light clothes, and eat hydrating fruits like watermelon, cucumber, and cashew, among others, to replace fluids and electrolytes.
