Rising Trend of Numbness and Hypertension among Rural Women in Bua Zaakpon Community South-South, Nigeria

Numbness and high blood pressure are on the increase among rural women who are predominantly farmers. This was discovered during a free medical outreach in the community. Numbness and high blood pressure are the most common illness found among these rural women and this is alarming. This could be as a result of nerve and blood vessel effects. Long-standing hypertension damages small blood vessels, which may reduce blood flow to nerves and thus, reduced nerve oxygen, leading to nerve dysfunction, which may show up as numbness, tingling, or pins and needles, especially in hands or feet. Hypertension doesn’t usually cause numbness directly, but it raises the risk of nerve damage, stroke, and vascular problems that can cause numbness. Persistent or unexplained numbness should always be evaluated, especially in someone with high blood pressure. This study is aim to evaluate the Rising Trend of Numbness and Hypertension Among Rural Women in Bua Zaakpon Community South-South, Nigeria. This was a cross-sectional study involving 250 women with age between 18 to 47 years. A well-structured questionnaire was administered to participants. The study lasted for a period of 1 month. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 25.0 and p < 0.05 was significant. The results revealed that majority (40%) of the participants were between 43 to 47 years of age, 68% were married, 68% had secondary level of education, 68% are farmers, 76% belong to nuclear family, 80% work for more than 8 hours, 96% experienced numbness, 96% had high blood pressure on routine check, feet, hands and legs were the most affected by numbness and 76% rarely rest during the day.