Seventy percent of Nigerians from the age of 50 years and above have one form of arthritis or the other, the medical director, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dala, Dr Muhammad Nuhu Salihu has said.
He said there are about 120 types of arthritis, urging Nigerians to be wary of their diet especially when they are advancing in age so as to mitigate the impact of the disease.
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He also discouraged consanguinous marriages among persons with history of the disease, blaming such practice for fueling the cases of arthritis in the country.
Salihu, who delivered a keynote lecture at the 2020 World Arthritis Day jointly organized by the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dala and Zolon Healthcare Limited, said, “As humans we will one day get some pains in our joints.”
He said the event was organized to reflect on pains induced by arthritis on individuals, and to also create awareness so as to demystify some misconceptions about the disease.
According to him, “Most people will have arthritis at one time or the other in their life time it’s only a matter of time. We are a population of close to 200million so we expect that 70 percent of individuals who are above the age of 50 will have some form of arthritis or the other.”
Pharmacist Bello Achileke, the Business Manager of Zolon Healthcare called for more proactive measures through regular exercise, taking balanced diet and necessary food supplements to mitigate the impact of the disease on the individuals.
