Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day is February 22

Today officially kicks off American Heart Month, a time to raise awareness of heart conditions and heart healthy lifestyles. Led by the Alliance for Aging Research, on February 22 and throughout the month, more than 130 organizations, and countless advocates and individuals across the globe will mark Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day by joining together to increase recognition about the risks of heart valve disease and improve detection and treatment access to ultimately save lives.  

“As many as 15.3 million Americans have heart valve disease, but research shows that 3 out of 4 people know little to nothing about this potentially disabling and deadly condition,” said Katrin Werner-Perez, Director of Health Programs at the Alliance for Aging Research. “It is so important to get your heart listened to by a medical professional. A simple stethoscope check can detect signs of health challenges and initiate additional testing for heart valve disease. This is very treatable.” 

About Heart Valve Disease:  

• Heart valve disease occurs when one or more of the heart’s four valves is defective or damaged, interrupting blood flow and often causing serious complications, including death.  

• As many as 15.3 million Americans have heart valve disease.  

• More than 25,000 deaths are attributed to valve disease in the U.S. each year.  

• More than 84 million people around the world are impacted by heart valve disease.  

• Symptoms can include lightheadedness or fainting, irregular or fluttering heart or chest pain, tiredness, edema, and feeling off in general or missing out on daily activities.  

• Heart murmurs—or irregular heart sounds that are common with valve disease–can usually be detected through a simple stethoscope check. If a murmur is detected, additional tests such as an EKG, ECG, chest X-ray, or MRI can diagnose valve disease.  

Heart Valve Disease Risk Factors:  

• Age is the greatest risk factor of valve disease: 1 in 10 people 75 and older are estimated to have moderate or severe heart valve disease  

• Other cardiovascular diseases and conditions such as previous heart attack, hypertension, and high cholesterol  

• Diabetes  

• Treatments for certain types of cancer  

• Congenital abnormalities   

• 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  

Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day activities involve heart screenings with stethoscopes, story sharing, educational events, social media campaigns, and more. The Alliance will celebrate 10 years of disease awareness with a Celebratory Reception at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center on February 25. RSVP to attend. 

Visit www.ValveDiseaseDay.org to learn more and access free resources (many translated in Spanish and French), and graphics to accompany news stories. And follow #ValveDiseaseDay and #ListenToYourHeart on social media platforms to learn more.   

About the Alliance for Aging Research  

For 40 years, 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.  

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To interview someone from the Alliance for Aging Research on Heart Valve Disease Day activities, or a medical professional on the topic of heart valve disease, email Katie Riley, Vice President of Communications at the Alliance for Aging Research, at [email protected].