The Ghana Society of Cardiology says the high incidence of stroke among young people is being driven by unhealthy lifestyle choices and a lack of exercise.

The Society is intensifying its efforts to educate the public about the risks of unhealthy lifestyles and the importance of regular physical activity.

It is also advocating for individuals to get regular checkups to screen for cardiovascular diseases.

At an annual general scientific meeting, held in Accra on February 22, 2024, the Vice President of the Ghana Society of Cardiology, Dr. Francis Agyekum, said that cardiovascular diseases often go undetected because they are not associated with symptoms.

 “Formerly, we used to say that atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases is the disease of the rich country but now we are seeing a number of them. You can attest to the fact that you are hearing a lot of stroke cases. If you go outside, they are more elderly but in Ghana we are seeing more of the people in the productive age group.

"Our patients are younger if you compare that to the United States or the UK. My youngest patient that came with a heart attack was 27 years old,” he said.

According to Dr. Agyekum, the rise in cardiovascular diseases can be attributed to lifestyle changes, particularly dietary choices.

He noted that many people are consuming more processed and fast foods and fewer fruits and vegetables which is leading to a rise in cardiovascular diseases.

 “People are now eating more energy-dense meals, fast foods, cholesterol, excessive salt intake. People are eating less of fruits and vegetables. People are not exercising.”

“In fact there are people who wake up from their bed, sit in their cars, go to work and then come back sit behind the television and sleep,” he said.