The programmes manager for non-communicable diseases at the Ghana Health Service (GHS) Dr. Efua Commeh has said the percentage of people with hypertension (High Blood Pressure) is expected to rise above 35% of Ghana’s population.
She explained to Alfred Ocansey on 3FM Sunrise Morning Show that, the rate at which people are eating unhealthy diets, consuming fast foods, sugar beverages, and even the sort of box drinks parents give to their children because it is convenient to take to school are all predisposing people to high blood pressure.
“If you look at the rate at which fast food restaurants and joints are springing up all over; the rate at which we are eating unhealthy , the rate at which we are consuming sugar sweetened beverages and unhealthy diets is impacting on our health” Dr. Commeh emphasized.
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According to her, a lot of sudden deaths among the productive work force can be attributed to hypertension. Most of the people who die suddenly have hypertension as the underlying conditions and once hypertension gets out of hand the person may develop stroke or heart attack and that’s when they seek medical attention but it might be late.
She advised that people should check their blood pressure regularly and make deliberate efforts to know their status in order to seek medical attention on time, as well as be intentional to exercise and make the minimum steps per day. Averagely one should take about six thousand to ten thousand steps in a day but a lot of people are not able to even take two thousand steps a day.
“High blood pressure is silent and shows no symptoms hence one should not wait till it escalates before you seek medical attention.
“The earliest symptom you could get is no symptom at all. Hypertension is a chronic situation hence hypertensive individuals remain on medication forever. Prevention is the best remedy when it comes to hypertension” she admonished.
By Samuel Afriyie Owusu|3news.com|Ghana