Stroke Burden in Ghana: A Review of Research

Abstract

Stroke is becoming an increasing cause of morbidity, mortality and disability in Ghana due to change in lifestyles and an emerging ageing population. Yet, there is paucity of data on the epidemiology of stroke in the country. The aim of this paper is to provide a review of the published literature on the burden of stroke in Ghana and provide implications for future research. We undertook a literature search on stroke burden in Ghana from MEDLINE and Google Scholar for papers published between 1st January 1900 and 31st May 2013. The data indicate that stroke is currently one of the top five causes of deaths in Ghana and is also a frequent cause of admission to hospitals. Stroke is associated with severe disability which poses many challenges to patients and their families, healthcare staffs, and the entire nation. Increasing rate of high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity are major determinants of stroke in Ghana. Also, female admissions and deaths are greater than that of males and most of the stroke cases in the country are haemorrhagic. With the projected rise in stroke burden in Ghana, there is need for more population-based data which would help to trigger effective primary, secondary and tertiary prevention strategies.