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World Stroke Day is observed and celebrated every October 29. This global awareness day is intended to underscore the serious nature and high rates of stroke, raise awareness on prevention and treatment as well as promote better care and support for survivors.
According to research, high blood pressure is one of the biggest risk factors for stroke and causes over half of stroke cases globally.
Blood pressure more than 120/90mmHg is considered high and more often than not and high blood pressure mostly known as hypertension shows no symptoms.
Healthy Heart Africa in collaboration with Kwadaso Municipal Health Directorate has carried out free blood pressure tests to over 500 Residents within the Kwadaso Municipality in the Ashanti Region.
The exercise which commenced on the 29th of October 2022 is aimed at raising awareness and joining the global fight against cardiovascular diseases to minimize mortality, especially among young adults.
Dr. Yeboah leader of PATH Healthy Heart Africa, in a media interaction said, an estimated 101 million people experience stroke, and each year 12.2 million cases is recorded with about 6.5 million people dying from stroke annually.
He disclosed that, the prevalence of stroke in Ghana has seen an increase from 1990 (1.57%) to 2019 (1.69%).
Dr. Yeboah added that “Cardiovascular diseases including stroke are often considered diseases for older adults however an increasing number of medical studies have revealed an alarmingly high incidence in young adults.
“CVDs can affect anyone and at any age. With this exercise, we have been able to screen over 500 people, offered them with advice to avoid stroke and heart attack” he said.
“I would like to encourage Ghanaians especially young people, to carry out regular blood pressure checks. It is important because high blood pressure usually has no symptoms and cannot be detected without being measured. It is the number one risk factor for stroke and often considered a silent killer.”
He revealed that, the primary causes of cardiovascular diseases are smoking, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and the harmful use of alcohol which in turn show up in people as high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and obesity.
Meanwhile, lifestyle changes including healthy eating, regular physical activity, and quitting tobacco use are advised to minimize the risk of stroke, he stressed.
PATH Healthy Heart Africa provide affordable and accessible high-quality healthcare protection for all Africans.
Story by Akwada Nyame Silver fm
