The Zonal Lead for the Ghanaian Society of Cardiology in the Western Region Dr George Peprah says the number of people dying from hypertension and its related complication is more than all infections put together, worldwide.
According to him lots of people have died from stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, and diabetes among others which are hypertension-related complications.
Dr George Peprah was speaking on the Dynamite Breakfast Show on Dynamite Fm on World Hypertension Day on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.
This year’s celebration is on the theme “Measure your blood pressure accurately, control it, live longer”
Every year, Hypertension accounts for 7.5 million deaths, representing 12.8 percent of the total of all deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
This has called for intense education on hypertension; its causes, risk factors, effects, and solutions by the Ghanaian Society of Cardiology.
He described hypertension as a silent killer because it may not show any symptoms when one has it unless the person checks it at the hospital.
He noted that one becomes hypertensive when the person’s blood pressure goes up higher than normal, which is 120/80 systolic and diastolic.
At that point care givers will start managing the person with a treatment plan which includes lifestyle changes. These lifestyle changes consist of healthy eating habits and exercising which when done well are expected to control blood pressure. However, when these lifestyle changes fail to yield the needed results, caregivers will prescribe medication, which is expected to be taken by the patient for the rest of his life to get the pressure controlled.
Dr Peprah called for constant exercising and proper eating habits to avoid high blood pressure.
