A Paediatrician at the 37 Military Hospital, Dr Adeline Asante-Kwabiah, has disclosed that children can also get hypertension, as the disease is not limited only to adults.

Dr Asante-Kwabiah, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on World Hypertension Day, that most of the cases in children often had an underlying medical condition.

The 2025 World Hypertension Day was on the theme: “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer!”

She said in such cases, treatment of the underlying condition, such as kidney disease, made hypertension better.

Dr Asante-Kwabiah therefore urged parents to ensure that they followed the recommended diet from the healthcare team for such children and see to it that they took their medications and go for reviews on scheduled.

She said hypertension was a major public health concern, adding that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had estimated that 1.28 billion adults aged 30 to 79 years worldwide had the condition, with two-thirds of them living in low and middle-income countries, including Ghana.

“Unfortunately, an estimated 46 per cent of adults with hypertension are unaware that they have the condition. In Ghana, some studies have shown that approximately one in four adults has high blood pressure”.

She said that when high blood pressure goes undetected and untreated for a while, complications such as stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and even erectile

dysfunction could occur, noting that blood pressure could be elevated without experiencing any symptoms or showing any signs.

Dr Asante-Kwabiah stressed that the only way to know what one’s blood pressure was high, was to have it checked, saying “Knowing your blood pressure empowers you to control it and live longer”.

She encouraged the public to adopt some lifestyle modifications, such as a healthy and balanced diet with low levels of salt, maintaining an appropriate weight for one’s height and cutting down on alcohol intake to help control high blood pressure.

She mentioned that some of the risk factors for developing high blood pressure included advancing age, obesity, intake of high-salt-containing foods, exposure to persistent stress, excess alcohol intake, and use of tobacco, among others.

She reiterated that it was essential for everyone to know their status by checking it regularly, advising that for people already living with hypertension, modifying their lifestyle to minimise risks and avoid complications.