Nigeria’s Medical Roundtable on Contemporary Management of Stress and Anxiety-related diseases took place in the last quarter of 2006 at four different locations across the country:- Lagos, Kaduna, Benin and Calabar. This provided an opportunity for Cardiologists, General Practitioners, Pharmacists, Psychiatrists, Gastroenterologists, Surgeons, Physicians, Paediatricians, Gynaecologists and other specialists to discuss adjunctive pharmacologic measures in the management of stress and anxiety-related diseases.

Two topics were discussed by lead discussants. The first topic was “CONSIDERATIONS IN THE CHOICE OF ADJUNCTIVE ANXIOLYTIC AGENTS IN PSYCHOSOMATIC DISEASES”.

The lead discussants were Dr. Matie Obazee, Consultant Family Physician, Echos Hospital (Benin), Dr. E. C. Okereke, Chief Consultant Psychiatrist, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (Calabar), Dr. M. S. Isa, Cardiologist, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (Zaria) and Dr. J. N. Ajuluchukwu, Cardiologist LUTH Lagos. Discussants focused on the Physiology of stress and anxiety, its aetiological factor and its impact on the health and well-being of the individual. Stress was implicated as a risk factor in peptic ulcer, hypertension, diabetes and other chronic conditions, hence stress and anxiety, once identified and treated, prevents further complications.

The second topic was “CONTEMPORARY MEDICAL PERSPECTIVES IN TACKLING ANXIETY RELATED PSYCHOSOMATIC DISEASES”. The lead discussants were Dr. Casmir Omuemu, Consultant Physician, Internal Medicine, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (Benin), Dr. E. J. Peters, Chief Consultant Thoracic Medicine, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (Calabar) Dr. S. O. David, Gastroenterologist, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (Zaria), and Dr. S. Temowo, General Hospital Lagos. They focused on the impact of stress and anxiety on peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and Hypertension. On PUD, it was stated that anxiety increases dyspeptic symptoms and that benzodiazepines have been demonstrated to reduce gastric acid secretion in patients, hence anxiolytics could be used as adjuncts in treatment of PUD. Discussing hypertension, independent studies were cited which had been carried out to show that anxiolytics reduce blood pressure and pulse rate indirectly. Based on these studies, anxiolytics were advocated as adjuncts in the management of transient and systemic hypertension.
Expert opinion from the Roundtables strongly support short term adjuvant use of trusted anxiolytics like LEXOTANÒ in achieving clinical control in patients with coexisting underlying anxiety.