By Godfred A. Polkuu
Bolgatanga, May 22, GNA – Dr Braimah Baba Abubakari, the Upper East Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), says the Region recorded a total of 6,246 newly diagnosed hypertension cases between January 2025 and April 2025.
“This is far less than those actually roaming with hypertension,” he noted at a forum to court media and stakeholder support on advocacy and awareness creation on hypertension in the Region.
The forum brought together some selected journalists, officials from the Health Promotion Unit of the GHS, Ghana Education Service, the Information Service Department, among other stakeholders.
Dr Abubakari explained that hypertension, known as high Blood Pressure (BP) or “silent killer”, was a condition in which the blood vessels persistently raised pressure.
He said delays in the detection of hypertension could lead to stroke, heart attacks, heart and kidney failures, eye problems and, affected other body organs.
On how to diagnose hypertension, Dr Abubakari said it was through the measurement of BP on two different days.
He said the systolic BP readings on both days should be greater than or equal to 140 milimetres of mercury (mmHg) and the diastolic BP readings on both days also greater than or equal to 90 mmHg.
He said a Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) risk factor assessment survey conducted in 2023 – 2024 indicated that 24.8 percent of adults in Ghana had never measured their BP.
He said 19.1 percent of adults in Ghana were hypertensive, 50 percent were unaware they had hypertension, while only 42 percent of hypertensive people were diagnosed and treated.
According to the Director, hypertension was a major cause of premature death worldwide, “This means many more people are roaming with hypertension and even those diagnosed are not compliant with medical appointments”.
He disclosed that 74 people died from hypertensive disorders in 2024 and added that “Hypertensive disorders is also the second leading cause of maternal deaths in Ghana”.
Dr Abubakari mentioned increasing age, family history of hypertension, overweight or obesity, physical inactivity, high salt diet, alcohol and tobacco use as risk factors for hypertension.
On prevention, he called for lifestyle modification, healthy eating habits; that is diet with low salts, sugars, and fat, high fibre, fruits and vegetables, increased physical activity, stop alcohol intake and tobacco smoking.
“For people already diagnosed with hypertension: take your medicines regularly, keep appointments with your health care professionals, eat healthy diet, engage in regular physical activity, manage stress and have good sleep,” he advised.
Dr Abubakari said even though some people do not experience symptoms of hypertension, others experienced severe headaches, chest pain, dizziness, difficulty in breathing, blurred vision or other vision changes, anxiety, confusion, buzzing in the ears and nosebleeds.
He called for stakeholder cooperation to raise awareness on hypertension in the Region, and admonished residents to frequently check their BPs and adopt healthy lifestyles.
GNA
FAA/CA