The Keta Municipal Health Directorate in the Volta Region has educated the public on the importance of commemorating "World Hypertension Day" to create awareness of the causes, effects and prevention of the disease.
The exercise focused on educating the public about facts, misconceptions, complications and how to minimise the risk factors of hypertension.
Dora Kugbonu, the Public Health Promotion Officer of the Keta Municipal Health Directorate, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, to commemorate Day, described the disease as a condition where the patient's blood pressure remained consistently high, usually around 140/90 mmHg and above. "Hypertension sometimes does not show any signs or symptoms until it is too late, and that is the reason why everybody needs to visit the health facility regularly for check-ups, for early detection," she said.
She explained that while everybody was at risk of hypertension, others were at a higher risk due to their exposure to certain risk factors such as their excessive salt intake, eating foods high in fat, lack of exercise, high alcohol intake and smoking, among others.
