A Consultant Surgeon and Chairman of the Planning Committee for the 2026 World Heart Day in Accra, Professor Alfred Doku, has warned that hypertension remains a silent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases in Ghana.

Speaking at a press launch of the 2026 World Heart Day in Accra, Prof. Doku said 70 percent of Ghanaians have high blood pressure without knowing it.

According to him, changing lifestyles remains a key factor in contracting the condition.

“We are getting a lot more people with hypertension. Indeed, the number one driver of cardiovascular diseases is hypertension. Most people are not aware that they are hypertensive.

“Over 70 percent of Ghanaians with hypertension are not aware of their condition. Those who are aware, only a few of them are on medication, and those on medication, only a few of them have their blood pressure controlled, so this is what is driving the heart diseases.

“This is what is driving the stroke, and this is what is driving the kidney failure in Ghana. That is why the number of people dying from these diseases is increasing because the risk factor is silent.

“You don’t feel anything when you have hypertension. So people can go about their daily activities without knowing that they have very high blood pressure.”