It has emerged that 6,246 people in the Upper East Region have been diagnosed with hypertension between January and April 2025.
As high as this figure is, the Ghana Health Service in the region says this figure is far less than those roaming with hypertension.
Seen as a silent killer, Hypertension, otherwise known as high blood pressure, is a condition in which the blood vessels (arteries) have persistently raised pressure.
Delay in the detection of hypertension may lead to stroke, heart attacks, heart failure, kidney failure, and affect the eyes and other body organs.
Hypertension is diagnosed if and when it is measured on two different days, the systolic blood pressure readings on both days are more than or equal to 140 millimeters of mercury, and/or the diastolic blood pressure readings on both days are more than or equal to 90 millimeters of mercury.
It is viewed as a silent killer largely because many individuals who sometimes die as a result of the condition do not experience any symptoms.
A non-communicable disease risk fact assessment survey conducted in 2023-2024 showed that 24.8% of adults in Ghana have never measured their blood pressure,19.1% of adults in Ghana are hypertensives, 50% of hypertensives are unaware that they have hypertension, only 42% of hypertensives are diagnosed and treated.
Engaging the media, the Upper East Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Braimah Baba Abubakari, disclosed that 74,000 people died in 2024 from hypertension disorders countrywide with 6,246 cases diagnosed from January to April 2025 in the Upper East Region alone.
“This means many more people are roaming with hypertension, and even those diagnosed are not compliant with medical appointments. During last year, 2024, 74,000 people died from hypertensive disorders. Hypertensive disorders are also the second leading cause of maternal deaths in Ghana.
The number of people newly diagnosed with hypertension in the region from January to April 2025 stands at 6,246.”
He added that the number of people roaming with hypertension but are unaware far outweighs those that have been recorded.
