A Senior Lecturer at the Department of Surgery, School of Medicine and Dentistry, of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr Isaac Okyere, is cautioning tertiary students against entering early relationships.

He said the heart is an emotional organ that weakens with stress and increases the risk of hypertension.

Dr. Okyere was speaking in a monthly podcast by the E-Learning Centre of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology on the theme “Heart Health; The Heart of Man and Total Wellbeing.”

This early emotional engagement often leads to heartbreaks which puts emotional and psychological stress on students making them suffer academically.

“There is much life ahead of you. If you have the so-called “broken heart syndrome”, you are putting stress on the heart. One can go through and have psychiatric issues while another may not feel anything. Guard your heart with all diligence. Be careful with your relationship here on campus. There is so much stress awaiting you outside campus in terms of work, and marriage among others,” he advised.

The students were advised against an activity like September rush, where continuing students woo female freshers into relationships

Other students reportedly live as couples on campus.

Research from the National Library of Medicine in 2021, reveals among Ghanaian students currently in second-cycle educational institutions, 19.91% were hypertensive and 26.07% were prehypertensive.

This may indicate a probable high prevalence of hypertension in the future adult population if measures are not taken to curb the associated risks.

Dr Isaac Okyere charged the youth to manage their diet, monitor glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure, and limit the consumption of alcohol and smoking.