Derrick Darko, a medical officer at the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH), says hypertension accounts for about 50% of maternal deaths that occur during delivery.
He explained that there are four categories of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy – chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia-eclampsia and chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia.
Darko said this at the third “Your Health! Our Concern!”, a Ghana News Agency initiative that seeks to improve health literacy through the propagation of health information to influence personal health choices. He encouraged expectant mothers to visit health facilities and seek education on issues.
He stated that hypertension in pregnancy, if not managed, could lead to pregnancy complications, including seizures, coma, premature delivery, increased chances of intrauterine growth restriction in the baby, detachment of the placenta, bleeding in pregnancy and a higher probability of remaining hypertensive after delivery.
He added that apart from recording high blood pressure readings, other signs to look out for are protein in the urine, which could be assessed through the various tests done during pregnancy.
Other signs include severe frontal headaches which cannot be treated with the intake of painkillers, visual blurriness, flashes of light on the face, continuous nausea, vomiting, experiencing pain just beneath the breast or right side of the abdomen and a sharp increase in weight with swellings of the hands and feet.
He explained that hypertension in pregnancy could be categorised in two ways: persons diagnosed as hypertensive before getting pregnant and those who develop it during pregnancy.
He said those already diagnosed must seek pre-pregnancy counselling from their doctors before getting pregnant That way, their medications and dietary needs can be monitored to avoid complications.
He urged women to begin antenatal care immediately they find out they are pregnant. This helps to monitor their blood pressure and detect early signs to avoid complications.
He said even though the causes of hypertension are yet to be established, some contributory factors include high intake of salt, fatty foods, a heredity and a sedentary lifestyle.
Francis Ameyibor, the Tema regional manager of Ghana News Agency, said information on the health status of citizens is key. He said the “Your Health! Our Concern” platform seeks to propagate health information to influence personal health choices by improving health literacy.
“We must all be concerned about the health of some other person in order to develop a healthy society.” He added that the platform will serve as an effective communication channel for health professionals to educate the public on healthy practices and other general health challenges.
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