Cardiovascular disorder in the country for the next fifty years, if
measures were not taken to check its predisposing factors from getting
higher.Studies in Ghana have shown that ageing, increase in body mass,
moderate to heavy use of alcohol and cigarette favoured high
occurrence rate of high blood pressure in the societies.
Professor Joseph O.M. Pobee, Physician and Lecturer at the Ghana
Medical School made these observations at the launch of three books he
has written, which threw more light on the emerging problems of
cardiovascular diseases in the country.
The books are; Heart of the Matter, Community Profile of
Cardiovascular Diseases of a Sub-Saharan African Country and the Ghana
Paradigm - Mamprobi Cardiovascular Health Project 1975-83.
Prof Pobee said a study carried out in Ghana in 1974 on high
blood pressure amongst 2000 public servants in Accra and Tema by the
World Health Organisation (WHO) International Project on Community
Control on Hypertension indicated that there was high occurrence of
hypertension cases among urban Ghanaians.
He said hypertensive heart diseases, kidney failure, strokes
and heart attacks constituted 32 percent of all deaths, with the
percentage being higher in middle age group and the single leading
case of deaths in adults.
The studies also noted that females were at the risk of
developing hypertension much higher after the birth of their third
child.
He said it was expensive to treat hypertension with drugs as
medications ranged from 5-125 percent of the minimum wage and some of
the side effect of the drugs likely to diminish a patient's potency
put them off.
Prof Pobee called for non-drug measures in the control of
hypertension, which included dietary by reducing weight or maintaining
the ideal weight, exercise and avoiding sedentary habits.
He called for the intensification of public education about the
disease.Dr Fred Wurapa, Physician and Lecturer at the School of Public
Health who reviewed monographs of the author noted that the three
books were landmarks in the study and control of cardiovascular
diseases.
He said until very recently there was not much documents and
information on diseases associated with lifestyles since the
perception was that the country's health problems were overwhelmingly
those of infections and parasitic infections, malnutrition and
disorders that impacted adversely on safe motherhood.
He called on the various stakeholders in the health delivery
sector to make hypertension a major public health issue like the
communicable diseases.
Professor Samuel K. Owusu, Lecturer at the GMS re-iterated that
hypertension was the leading disorder in cardiovascular diseases in
the country.He emphasized the need for the country to treat the
disease as a public health importance and the necessary resources
allocated for its control.
The first three copies of the books which were auctioned were
bought by the State Insurance Company (SIC) for 20 million cedis,
second copy went to the GMS for 15 million cedis and the third one
went to School of Public Health for 20 million cedis.
The total of seven books bought during auction amounted to 110
million cedis, which included pledges.
23 March 07
