One in three adults in Cameroon has high blood pressure. Statistics from the Cameroon Heart Foundation (FCC) showed that more than 17,000 people die from the disease each year in the country.

On the occasion of World Hypertension Day on May 17, health authorities issued recommendations. These include eating less salt, fat, and sugar, reducing alcohol and tobacco consumption, avoiding excessive weight gain, and exercising regularly. The authorities have also insisted on the importance of being screened in this period, as hypertension is an aggravating factor in Covid-19.

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and asthma are the comorbidities most associated with patients with coronavirus. Because of their vulnerability, people with hypertension are among the priority targets for vaccination against Covid-19.

"More than 5 to 6 million people in Cameroon have high blood pressure. Those who suffer from it are more vulnerable to Covid-19 and therefore, likely to die. Hypertension is responsible in 90% of cases for all cardiovascular complications in Cameroon, be it a stroke, myocardial infarction, acute kidney pressure, or kidney disease requiring dialysis. Unfortunately, it is called the 'silent killer' because 90% of patients with hypertension are unaware of it," says Professor Daniel Lemogoum, president of the FCC.

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