Experts Warn against Use of Mercury Blood Measurement, Say it’s Harmful

Rebecca Ejifoma
Stress management specialists have warned pharmacists and other medical practitioners from the continuous use of mercury blood pressure measurement, saying it is more harmful to the body and as such it has become obsolete.

Although these experts have concluded that the mercury measurement device was odourless, they recommended the automatic or digital blood measurement device, which they said was the latest and safest way to go.

According to a Stress Management Consultant, Dr. Jacob Nwachukwu, Omron, blood pressure monitoring has provided the modern, easy and affordable way of measuring blood. “Therefore, the world has transited from the old measurement to the digital measurement called ‘out of the office measurement’. This method affords every individual the opportunity to monitor his blood pressure at home.”

Meanwhile, the health experts have urged people living with asthma to strictly adhere to the medications, as proper control of the disorder would prevent severe asthma attacks that can lead to death.

Founder of Asthma and Chest Care Foundation, Professor Gregory Erhabor said many children with asthma develop symptoms before age five. “There are a number of conditions that can cause asthma-like symptoms in young children. But if the child’s symptoms are caused by asthma, early diagnosis is important. Asthma treatment in children improves day-to-day breathing, reduces asthma flare-ups and helps reduce other problems caused by asthma,” he added.

Erhabor, who spoke on ‘Asthma in Children’, explained that it varies by age group. “Infants, toddlers and four-year-olds are diagnosed and treated differently from teenagers and adults.

As a Consultant Chest Physician, Obafemi Awolowo University, Erhabor explained that when a patient admitted for asthma is not properly treated, such a person stands a higher risk of developing severe asthmatic attacks.

On ‘Modern Management of Asthma and Hypertension in Local Communities’, he urged patients to ensure they have an instrument called a Peak Flow Meter for monitoring asthma control with a view to determining the severity of their asthma. “This meter is to the asthmatic what the sphygmomanometer is to the hypertensive or the glucometer to the diabetic. Working together with the doctor, the asthmatic needs to have a written health management plan to know when asthma is not controlled and what to do in that instance.”

But with statistics showing that over 15 million Nigerian are suffering from asthma, Omron Academy in partnership with New Height Pharmaceutical and the Lagos State Association of Community Pharmacists held a-one-day training for Nigerian community pharmacists and other health professionals in Lagos on proper monitoring of patients. From the words of the Country Manager, Omron Healthcare Nigeria and Ghana, Mr. Olugbenga Abiodun, this initiative was in line with Omron’s mission as a market leader in the field of hypertension and respiratory.