Physician Specialist and Cardiology Fellow in training at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Florence Akumiah, has disclosed that heart disease and stroke have accounted for more deaths in Ghanaian hospitals than any other recorded cause since 2016, highlighting the growing burden of cardiovascular diseases and other non-communicable diseases in Ghana
This was disclosed at a media engagement in Accra on Wednesday, September 30, to mark World Heart Day.
According to Dr Akumiah, cardiovascular diseases continue to pose a major public health challenge in Ghana, with the condition affecting people across different age groups and increasingly being detected among younger adults.
She said about 45 percent of deaths in Ghana were attributable to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), while cardiovascular diseases accounted for approximately 18 percent of total deaths, citing data from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Dr Akumiah also drew attention to the prevalence of hypertension in Ghana, describing it as one of the country’s major cardiovascular health concerns.
She said the 2023 Ghana WHO STEPS survey, which covered 5,438 adults across all 16 regions, found that about one in five Ghanaian adults had hypertension.
This translates into approximately 3.7 million people living with the condition.
“Women recorded a higher prevalence of hypertension at 25.3 percent compared with 18.2 percent among men, while hypertension increased with age and was more prevalent in urban areas,” she said.
The physician specialist said the situation was particularly concerning because many people living with hypertension were unaware that they had the condition.
She explained that more young people were now reporting to health facilities with serious complications associated with high blood pressure.
Dr Akumiah said more young people were presenting with complications including stroke, kidney disease and hypertensive emergencies, while many people with hypertension remained unaware of their condition.
Among those who had already been diagnosed, she said, not everyone was receiving treatment or achieving adequate blood pressure control.
This, she noted, increased the risk of severe complications, particularly when hypertension remained undiagnosed or poorly managed for prolonged periods.
Source: Citinewsroom
