Medical specialists at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital UPTH, have advised patients, especially women who complain of chest and abdominal pains to seek for medical attention by carrying out an Endoscopic test to ascertain the position of their health condition.
This was the presentation by the Cardio- Thorasic and Gynecology units of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital , UPTH on the management of a patient with in fra- renal abdominal Aortic aneurysm co-existing with huge ovarian mass that required two high – End surgeries by the two units, hence, stressed the need for good health seeking behavior for early detection and treatment of diseases.
Speaking to Journalists shorty after the ground rounds, a Cardio-vascular surgeon at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, UPTH, Dr. Amadi Christian Emeka , said that early presentation of ailments increases the survival chances of the patients.
Dr Amadi said,” No body should assume to have ulcer without diagnosis.”
His words,” it is not enough you go to the hospital and complain to a doctor that you have ulcer,” adding that if after noticed and treated and it does not resolve, try to meet an endoscopy, pointing out that it is only when they see signs that points to ulcer that you can say the patient has ulcer.
He noted that sometimes, somebody may have cancer of the stomach and he is working around, thinking he has ulcer and he continued taking drugs without knowing he is dying from cancer and when it gets bad, not much can be done at that point.
Dr, Amadi said, some persons may come with aortic aneurysm, without knowing that such persons are with abdominal symptoms on their bodies, adding that such people should visit their healthcare providers for advice.
His words,” for aortic aneurysm, somebody may have not knowing about it, but come with symptoms, especially, abdominal pains and such patient can also come down with ulcer in the leg.
” So what we advice usually is to try to look at some of those things that predisposes to the aneurysm and prevent them and this condition has to do with the blood vessels becoming bigger than normal which can make it to suddenly rupture “, he summed up.
Inorder to prevent the ailment, Dr Amadi further explained that persons with hypertension should be properly treated to ensure that the blood pressure is not too high, while persons with genetic predisposition should also be watchful and not wait until complications occure before seeking medical help.
Also speaking, Prof. Nyengi Diki explained that ovarian cancer could also mimick ulcer symptoms, thus , he advised for proper diagnosis before treatment.
He said,” when people have chest pain, they believe it’s ulcer. There are certain specific steps that ought to be taken by the patient to know it’s ulcer”
” Now the other end of the spectrum is that certain things look like ulcer pain, they do not necessarily mean that the patient has ulcer, ovarian malignancy has non specific symptoms meaning that they may have pains that could mimick ulcer,”, he said.
He opined that ovarian cancer can be cured if patients present themselves early for treatment, even as he posited that UPTH has the capacity to handle complex and high- end cases that would require people traveling abroad, while he urged the healthcare seekers to take advantage and present themselves early for treatment.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Medical Advisory Council,CMAC, of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, UPTH, Prof. Datonye Alasia said that the presentation has revealed the importance of multi- disciplinary collaborations in the treatment of complex cases, which the management of the hospital encourages, even as he called on other health care facilities to do same as it is more economical to both patients and the institution.