A professor of medicine, Femi Williams has categorically stated that President Muhammadu Buhari is suffering from anaemia.
Williams, who is a certified physician in Anatomic Pathology from London and Ireland, told The Nation in an interview, that it was the reason why the President got blood transfusion during his medical vacation in the UK.
Buhari himself admitted he had transfusion in London, after he returned to Nigeria following a 49-day absence last Friday.
“We now have a pretty good idea of diagnosis, which is now comprehensive or good enough to say that the diagnosis of President Buhari’s illness is anaemia,” Williams said.
“You cannot be transfused if you don’t have anaemia”, he said.
Williams also claimed that the anaemia could have been triggered by self–medication.
Buhari during a closed-door meeting with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo shortly after arrival, spoke about self-medication.
He called it “one of our terrible things.”
“We have to trust our doctors more and trust ourselves more because over there they only take drugs when it is absolutely necessary. They don’t just swallow everything,” he said.
Professor Williams explained: “The clinical history given by Mr. President that for the past 18 months he had been lethargic and feeling tired prior to his vacation is consistent with tiredness due to anaemia.
“Regaining his strength after transfusions that facilitated his return home suggests that the anaemia had been corrected successfully.
“There is therefore a preliminary diagnosis of anaemia meaning insufficient blood in the circulation.
“When this happens many organs including the brain, heart, liver, kidneys and lungs are starved of oxygen that is carried by blood to all parts of the body for efficient functioning of the person.
“Sudden loss of blood as in road traffic accidents could be fatal. In this case, the anaemia has been insidious and gradual over time.”
Continuing, Prof Williams said: “The question that arises in the absence of information, which is understandable, is the cause of the anaemia.
“The only information that can be gleaned from the Presidents history on arrival is his admonition against self medication. By so doing is he giving us some more relevant information that he had been told in London?
“This is the first time that a President advises that all citizens should trust their doctors and refrain from self medication. Is it possible that his anaemia is drug induced or drug related and that investigations in London revealed this? We do not know. If this is true common pain relieving drugs like Panadol may cause kidney damage and give rise to anaemia for which he received transfusions.
“Alternatively certain drugs also cause liver damage and anaemia but this is unlikely in his case since he was not jaundiced.”
But he also admitted that “there are so many other causes of anaemia that cannot be dealt with here.”
“Of relevance to our last observation is the possibility that this may be anaemia related to some type of cancer that must be ruled out. Looking at the photos on arrival there is one suspicious positive finding and that his loss of muscle mass on the face in the area of the zygomatic arch below the ears.
“This is either due to some cancer somewhere or due to aging.”
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