Nigeria is seeing an increasing cases of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), with a treatment cost that is deepening household poverty, health experts and multiple studies show.
As Nigerians join the rest of the world to mark World Heart Day today, experts warn that CVDs are becoming a major casue of mortality and also impoverishing households. They stress that poor awareness of risk factors, a shortage of specialists, and the country’s weak health insurance coverage are compounding the crisis, leaving millions of citizens to pay out-of-pocket for expensive treatments.
Also, several studies reviewed by BusinessDay found that the cost of care doubles the poverty headcount among households.
Akin Osibogun, chairman of the Nigeria Heart Foundation, noted that the prevalence of CVDs had risen from 10% in 1990 to 28% today, and globally, about 20 million people die annually from CVDs.
Osibogun decried Nigeria’s low health insurance coverage, stressing that the cost of care remains unaffordable for many. According to the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), barely 10% of Nigeria’s estimated 220 million people are insured, while the rest are forced to pay out-of-pocket.
A study published in the Public Library of Science in 2021, based on a survey of patients who accessed healthcare in public and specialised heart hospitals, revealed that patients paying out-of-pocket faces catastrophic health expenditure (CHE).
The study found that 54.6% of CVD patient households incurred CHE, with the poorest households facing a 60-fold higher chance of incurring CHE relative to wealthier households.
The study also concluded that health expenditures doubled household poverty headcount, from 8.13% to 16.4%.
Private hospitals also report prohibitive costs. Lagoon Hospitals noted that cardiology care in Nigeria remains out of reach for most families. At Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), a valve replacement procedure costs about ₦3.2 million, while a hole-in-the-heart surgery ranges between ₦2.5 million and ₦2.7 million. With average monthly incomes ranging between ₦85,700 and ₦1.5 million and with 63 per cent of Nigerians living below the poverty line, experts say life-saving procedures are priced as luxuries for the majority.
It found that heart failure, cardiomyopathies, rheumatic heart disease, and coronary artery disease—are increasingly prevalent in Nigeria, adding that Hypertension remains the leading risk factor, yet one-third of hypertensive Nigerians receive no treatment, while another third fail to maintain controlled blood pressure.
On addressing treatment cost, Osibogun, emphasised the need to strengthen local manufacturing to reduce the cost of healthcare and make treatments more accessible to Nigerians.
The expert expressed concerns that “Ignorance is the greatest challenge,” in addressing CVDs as many Nigerians are no aware of risk factor such as excessive salt intake.
He also warned that air pollution is an emerging driver of heart disease. “Due to air pollution, the concentration of oxygen is reduced by pollutants, so the heart has to work harder, almost in overdrive,” Osibogun said.
He also urged citizens to adopt healthier lifestyles, highlighting the benefits of eating well and engaging in regular physical activity. “We need to move more,” he said, stressing that exercise is a key preventive measure against cardiovascular diseases.
He recommended that primary healthcare centres (PHCs) provide cardiovascular healthcare services, as they are the closest point of care for most Nigerians.
Furthermore on prevalence, a 2022 study published in the National Library of Science found that CVD-related admissions are rising in Nigeria and across Africa. Conducted in a Lagos tertiary hospital, the study reviewed CVD admissions over a 16-year period and revealed exponential increases.
Between 2002 and 2005, cumulative CVD admissions stood at 468. By 2009, the figure had risen to 1,490, a 201.1% increase. By 2013, it had climbed to 2,883 — representing a 516% increase. By 2017, total admissions stood at 4,436, an 847.9% increase from the 2002 baseline. The study noted that both admissions and death rates were rising sharply, reflecting Nigeria’s ongoing epidemiological transition.
A 2024 study, “The Burden of Cardiovascular Disease Attributable to Hypertension in Nigeria: A Modelling Study Using Summary-Level Data”, published in Global Heart, confirmed hypertension as the primary driver of CVDs. The findings showed hypertension contributes to 13.2% of myocardial infarctions, 24.6 percent of all stroke cases, and 21.6 percent of ischaemic stroke cases. Its role is even greater in intracerebral haemorrhagic strokes, accounting for 33.1 percent.
