Hypertension is the number one killer disease in Ghana 2007-10-30 Hypertension is the one number killer disease in Ghana today. Doctors at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital say almost 70 percent of all deaths at the hospital are caused by hypertensive conditions.
The disease affects nearly one out of every five Ghanaian adults. A recent report by the Ghana Health Service says more people are becoming hypertensive due to unhealthy lifestyles.
Doctors explain that hypertension is a silent killer because many have it for years without realizing it. It silently damages the brain, the heart, the kidneys and the eyes.
Commonly referred to as high blood pressure or BP, hypertension is the major cause of strokes, heart attacks, heart failure and chronic renal failure. These and other blood pressure related diseases constitute more than half of all admission cases at Korle Bu.
The Ghana Health Service says it is the second most reported medical condition in the Greater Accra Region. Last year it was the 5th. The Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Madam Irene Agyapong Amarteifio told Joy News’ Adisa Lansa that the upsurge in cases are traceable to the poor lifestyles of urban dwellers.
“From the records from all our OPDs in the public sector in the region, when compiled in 2006, the diagnosis they are making, hypertension used to be the fourth most common, now it is the second. Hypertension is a disease that can be modified by lifestyles; exercise, diet and so on can reduce it, and then also hypertension tend to affect the working age group who are supporting often several other people and if people get hypertension and it’s not controlled they get stroke and is a huge burden on the health system.
A resident cardiologist at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Alfred Doku says the reported hypertension cases are worrying across the country.
“Hypertension is a leading cause of deaths in adults. It is one of the major causes of admissions and the main complications are strokes, heart attack, kidney failure; at Korle-Bu data shows that hypertension was the major cause of admissions and it contributed to about 67 percent of deaths, most of them through strokes. Hypertension is still a major health care problem. In the urban centres hypertension prevalence is about 30 percent. In Kumasi and Accra again it is the leading cause of deaths in adults.”
But that is not the only cause for concern. Cardiologists say if lifestyles don’t improve, hypertensive patients may soon not get the care they require. Dr. Mark Tetteh says the number of patients may soon outstrip the doctors.
For now the Cardio Centre at Korle Bu is restricting itself to four surgeries a week instead of two or four a day due to lack of medical personnel. The centre has had its fair share of the brain drain.
