Alessandro Boccanelli, Lecturer in Narrative Medicine at UniCamillus University, confirms the importance of cardiological screening for early diagnosis
The week of 16-22 September 2024 is Heart Valve Awareness Week, promoted by the Associazione Cuore Nostro, the Fondazione Longevitas and the Global Heart Hub. The initiative was presented at the Senate on 18 September, thanks to Senator Daniela Sbrollini, and aims to involve the general public in cardiovascular screening and prevention programmes, stressing the importance of early diagnosis.
Italy has the longest-living population in Europe. This is a remarkable record, but there is a downside: with 24.1% of the population over 65, the impact of heart disease is more pronounced, affecting 13% of the elderly. And the risk increases with age.
To be more specific, we can mention the Prevasc study (the name comes from ‘PREvalenza malattie cardioVASColari’), conducted by SICGe, the Italian Society of Geriatric Cardiology: in a sample of 800 people, 7% of those over 80 suffer from aortic stenosis, 10% from mitral insufficiency and 15% from atrial fibrillation or heart failure.
Raising awareness is essential because these are diseases that, if diagnosed and treated early, can be contained, controlled or even prevented. The 2024 Awareness Campaign therefore aims to promote early diagnosis and the importance of regular screening, particularly through cardiac auscultation by general practitioners.
Often underestimated symptoms
Symptoms related to heart valve disease are often confused with other conditions, because they can be very common, such as fatigue, dizziness and trouble breathing. Instead, it is important to pay attention to these signs and seek immediate medical advice, which can be achieved by spreading information more widely. That is the aim of the #listentoyourheart initiative and the #valueyourheart project.
During the awareness week, the Associazione Cuore Nostro organised 18 free monitoring and screening days, including heart auscultations, in centres for the elderly in different Italian regions.
One of the campaign’s goals is to increase the rate of early diagnosis from the current 25% to 60%, thereby improving survival and reducing the impact of heart disease on the population.
‘Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of comorbidity and mortality, but very little is done to detect and treat them quickly’, says Alessandro Boccanelli, cardiologist, Vice president of SICGe, Lecturer in Narrative Medicine at UniCamillus University, and member of the scientific committee of Cuore Nostro and coordinator of the PreVasc study. ‘There are very effective institutionalised campaigns for cancer, but not for cardiology. What we want to do, as SICGe and the Fondazione Longevitas, is to make institutions and people in general aware of cardiovascular screening. It is a very simple screening procedure, consisting of simple auscultation using a stethoscope gently placed on the chest, and it can be done by a general practitioner or a pharmacist’.
Heart Valvular Disease Awareness Week is therefore an important opportunity to raise awareness of screening and early diagnosis, thereby improving the quality of life of thousands of people.