The Bawku hospital in the Upper East Region recorded 729 new hypertension cases last year alone.
Out of the number, 465 were women between the ages of 26 and 59, while the figure for their male counterparts was 138. Males above 60 years were 75, while females in that age group were 154.
Young people between the ages of 15 and 25 were also diagnosed to have the disease. Out of a total of 35 cases, 18 were females while 17 were males.
This came to light when two Cuban doctors Dr. Guillermo Linares, Dr Parlo Alberto Cuesta and their Ghanaian counterparts in the hospital, Dr. Joseph Manu presented a paper on hypertension cases in the Bawku area at a day’s scientific workshop organised by the Upper East Regional branch of the Cuban Brigade in Ghana.
They said hypertension with renal and cardiac failures was more prevalent in the 26-59 age groups and more frequent in males. Females in the same group were diagnosed to have high incidence of Cerebra Vascular Accident.
They attributed the causes for the high incidence of the ailment to alcoholism, smoking, excessive intake of fat and salt, unbalanced diet and the general poverty situation in the area.
The medical personnel said hypertension was a major factor for stroke and myocardial infraction and recommended regular check of blood pressure for all patients above 15 years, extensive health education on dietary intakes as well as the inclusion of non-pharmacological treatment in the management of hypertension.
Source: GhanaWeb
