Heart valve disease (HVD) involves damage to one or more of the heart’s valves, which can reduce blood flow and lead to serious complications – including death.
HVD affects approximately five million Americans and results in 22,000 deaths each year, but many Americans still know very little about the disease. HVD’s symptoms are usually hard to detect or are dismissed as a normal part of aging, which makes the lack of awareness surrounding the disease dangerous.
The Alliance is proud to sponsor the first-ever National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day on February 22, with annual observances to follow. We are committed to increasing knowledge of the risks and symptoms of HVD, improving detection and treatment, and saving lives through our efforts to educate the public.
To celebrate the first National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day, we are hosting an educational lunch briefing on February 22 at 12 p.m. The briefing will feature experts who will discuss the latest in heart valve disease research, as well as inspiring stories from two American Heart Association Heart Valve Ambassadors.
In addition to the briefing, we will host a Twitter chat on the same day at 4 p.m. to discuss the importance of heart valve disease awareness, the impact of the disease, and how everyone can get involved in the heart valve disease conversation.
Check out this video to learn more about heart valve disease and why awareness is so important:
