Hypertension No Longer an ‘Old Age’ Disease – Health Expert Warns

Registered Dietitian, Gracia Helarie Fraikue, has warned that hypertension can no longer be regarded as a condition associated only with old age, as changing lifestyles continue to increase the risk among younger people.

According to her, factors such as physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, stress, inadequate sleep, alcohol consumption and smoking are contributing to the growing prevalence of hypertension.

Speaking on the Business Breakfast on Zed FM with host Nii Trebi Hammond, Ms. Fraikue said while excessive salt intake remains a known risk factor, it is not the only contributor to the condition.

“Most of the time, people would say that we don’t take a lot of salt, we don’t do this, we don’t do that. But it’s not just about salt,” she said.

She explained that lifestyle patterns, including sedentary living and poor dietary choices, are increasingly putting more people at risk.

“If you are physically inactive, if you are very dormant, you just sit in your car, go to the office, and you don’t do any form of exercise, and then when you don’t eat healthy, you eat a lot of saturated fat, junk food and condiments, these are factors that can cause hypertension,” Ms. Fraikue noted.

She added that alcohol consumption, smoking, poor sleep and stress also play a major role in increasing the risk of developing the condition.

“You might think, ‘I’m eating well,’ but you’re not sleeping well. You’re not drinking enough water. You’re taking alcohol over the weekend. You’re smoking. All these things are factors,” she said.

The Registered Dietitian further cautioned that although ageing naturally increases the risk of hypertension, younger people are not exempt, particularly when unhealthy lifestyle habits are adopted early.

“We all know that metabolism reduces with age. So somebody who is probably 30 years is more active than someone who is 60 years. Somebody who is 60 years is more prone to hypertension,” she explained.

“However, when you do all these other things I’ve mentioned earlier, the 30-year-old is also going to be more prone to hypertension because he or she doesn’t realise the effect of the things they are doing now,” Ms. Fraikue added.

Her comments come amid growing concerns over the prevalence of hypertension and other lifestyle-related health conditions in Ghana, with health experts increasingly urging the public to adopt healthier habits through regular physical activity, balanced diets and proper rest.