Diseases on the heart of the pandemic, the damage of the pandemic
Cardiovascular disease still represents the leading cause of death in the world today, with 18.5 million lives lost every year. In Italy they are responsible for 34.8% of all deaths, both for men (31.7%) and for women (37.7%), with 230 thousand deaths each year certified by ISTAT.
In this terrible balance it becomes a priority to reduce cardiovascular risk through modifiable behaviors and prevention activities cardiovascular.
The Foundation for Your Heart of Italian Hospital Cardiologists ANMCOwhich engages in cardiovascular research and prevention, which engages in cardiovascular research and prevention February 14, Valentine’s Day, launches the national Pre-Cardiovascular initiative “for your heart 2022”, which will take place from 14 to 20 February. During the week the usual appointment of Open Cardiology, now in its sixteenth edition, which due to the pandemic spread from Covid-19, will take place in a different format, but always aimed at promoting cardiovascular prevention and the control of risk factors. The Foundation will in fact activate the toll-free number 800 05 22 33 dedicated to citizens who will be able call for free, every day from 10 to 12 and from 14 to 16, and pose on problems related to heart disease, to which over 660 ANMCO Cardiologists from the Structures participating in the initiative will respond, with more than 1500 hours of free cardiology consultancy.
The prof. Michele Gulizia – President of the ANMCO Foundation for Your Heart and Director of Cardiology at the “Garibaldi-Nesima” Hospital in Catania – underlined: “Heart disease, they represent one of the most important public health problemssince they fall among the main causes of morbidity, disability and mortality. After the turnaround caused by Covid to the progress of recent decades, A sharp increase in deaths from cardiovascular causes is expected worldwide, estimated to reach 24 million in 2030, more than 66,000 on average per dayfor a global cost that will go from around 863 billion dollars in 2010 to over 1 trillion. The pandemic has had an aggravating effect on the hearts of citizens S.eight different aspects: Sars-CoV-2, in addition to worsening previous conditions of heart disease or heart failure, in some individuals had in fact negative effects on the cardiovascular system, triggering serious problems, such as arrhythmias and decompensation, in some cases persisting even after recovery from the virus . In fact, analyzing the consequences, it emerged that up to one in eight patients, among those hospitalized, showed evident signs of heart problems. Due to the health emergency there has also been a significant reduction in cardiovascular prevention activities and patients have unfortunately skipped checks, and this has necessarily led many to an increase in deaths and hospitalizations. Cardiovascular prevention therefore assumes a decisive role and the ‘Open Cardiology’ initiative, now in its sixteenth edition, today represents even more a precious opportunity for the hearts of Italians ”. “Finally, I would like to recall – continues prof. Gulizia – too the importance of prevention to women, since if in childbearing age they are helped by hormonal protection, after menopause they are affected by diseases even more than men, even if generally the clinical picture is less evident, with pain absent or localized elsewhere. This only confuses the symptoms with other pathologies, often leading women to go to hospital later than men, and often with worse consequences.
“ANMCO, with over 5600 members, declares prof. Furio Colivicchi – National President of ANMCO and Director of the UOC Cardiology San Filippo Neri Hospital in Rome – has been working for over 50 years in the area to enhance the work of its Cardiologists, the flagship of Italian Medicine on the international scene. If it is true that cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death in our country, it is however necessary to remember that they are largely preventable, since alongside non-modifiable risk factors (age, sex and familiarity) there are also modifiable factors, linked to behaviors and lifestyles (such as smoking, alcohol, improper diet or a sedentary lifestyle) often in turn the cause of diabetes, obesity, hypercholesterolemia and arterial hypertension.
There prevention is therefore very important – continues prof. Colivicchi – and should be implemented as early as possible. The initiative of Open Cardiology, in this moment of health emergency, is in this sense a great opportunity that ANMCO cardiologists wish to offer free of charge to all who wish and represents a cornerstone of cardiovascular prevention that our Association has been carrying out for over 16 years.
The Campaign for Your Heart 2022 will also be active on social networks with the hashtag #listen to your heart And #cardiologyperte.
To learn about all the activities of the Foundation for your heart andlist of participating cardiologies to the Campaign it is possible to consult the site www.periltuocuore.it
Benedetta De Mattei