Today is Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day

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Feb 22, 2023, 10:10 ET

'Listen to Your Heart' Challenge elevates awareness and understanding of
often fatal disease that affects 11 million Americans

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, more than 120 organizations, joined by countless advocates and individuals across the globe are raising awareness for Valve Disease Day by increasing recognition about the risks of heart valve disease and improving detection and treatment access to ultimately save lives. Valve Disease Day activities involve heart screenings with stethoscopes, story sharing, educational events, social media campaigns, and more.

"While heart valve disease affects more than 11.6 million Americans and causes an estimated 25,000 deaths each year, public awareness and understanding of the condition is shockingly low," says Lindsay Clarke, JD, Senior Vice President of Health Education and Advocacy for the Alliance for Aging Research, adding that a survey by the Alliance found that three out of four people know little to nothing about heart valve disease, leaving too many going undiagnosed and untreated. "The good news is that while heart valve disease can be serious, early detection with a simple stethoscope check can lead to diagnoses, successful treatment, and many saved lives."

Heart valve disease occurs when one or more of the heart's four valves is damaged, interrupting blood flow and often causing serious complications, including death. More than 84 million around the world have heart valve disease, and more than 25,000 deaths are attributed to valve disease in the U.S. each year.

Symptoms of heart valve disease include lightheadedness, irregular or fluttering heart or chest pain, tiredness, edema, shortness of breath, and feeling off in general. Heart murmurs are detected through s simple stethoscope check. If a murmur is detected, additional tests such as an KG, ECG, chest X-ray, or MRI can diagnose valve disease.

The biggest risk factor for valve disease is age: 1 in 10 people 75 and older are estimated to have moderate or severe heart valve disease. However, other cardiovascular diseases and conditions such as previous heart attack, hypertension, high cholesterol can increase risk, as well as diabetes, and heart valve damage from treatments for certain types of cancer. People in communities of color tend to develop heart valve disease at a younger age and should be screened sooner due to this higher risk.

Event organizers are urging people of all ages, but especially those over 65, to take the "Listen to Your Heart" Screening Challenge.

"We know that a simple stethoscope check by a medical professional can save lives, so we're asking everyone to make an appointment to get their heart listened to or encourage a loved one to do the same," says Clarke. "To complete the challenge, people can share a photo of themselves getting their heart listened to, the appointment in their planner, driving in the car to the appointment, or a similar image on social media with #ValveDiseaseDay and #ListenToYourHeart. It's easy to get your heart checked and even easier to show your followers how simple it is."

To learn more about valve disease risk, symptoms, and awareness day events in your area, visit www.ValveDiseaseDay.org. Many materials and infographics are translated in Spanish and French. Follow #ValveDiseaseDay and #ListenToYourHeart on your favorite social media platform.

About the Alliance for Aging Research

Since 1986, the Alliance for Aging Research has served as a trusted source of health information for both consumers and health care professionals on diseases and conditions that disproportionately affect older adults and has led numerous successful advocacy campaigns promoting the health and independence of older adults. Recognizing the seriousness of heart valve disease, and the fact that disease symptoms are often difficult to detect or dismissed as a normal part of aging, the Alliance is leading this effort to raise awareness through Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day. Learn more about the Alliance at www.agingresearch.org.

To interview someone from the Alliance for Aging Research or one of our more than 120 partner organizations on the topic of heart valve disease and awareness day activities, email Katie Riley, Vice President of Communications, at [email protected].

Media contact: Katie Riley, Vice President of Communications, [email protected]

SOURCE Alliance for Aging Research