When most patients think about Heart Disease, their heart valves aren’t exactly top of mind. Five million people in the U.S. alone suffer from Heart Valve Disease (HVD), and yet more than three quarters of Americans are unaware HVD even exists. In a recent survey of two thousand respondents, 30 percent over the age of 65 didn’t know about HVD at all, and yet each year, an estimated 25,000 people in the U.S. die from HVD.

February is American Heart Month, and National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day — February 22nd — is an annual day dedicated to increasing recognition of the specific risks and symptoms of heart valve disease, improving detection and treatment, and ultimately saving lives.

Heart Valve Disease Day’s website offers an excellent patient and caregiver resource for information on HVD that’s simply written with patients and families in mind. Take advantage of this free resource and share it with your patients so they may take the best possible care of their hearts and their overall health. With education and advocacy, we can reduce the number of people who lose their independence and their ability to fully participate in their lives or even die from the disease. Join the movement to raise awareness about heart valve disease and protect patient lives.

Risk factors for HVD include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, older age, a history of heart disease or heart attack. Only a doctor can recommend treatment options for particular cases, but patients also have some control through lifestyle choices. Some options to help manage and prevent HVD include eating a heart healthy diet including plenty of fruits and veggies, getting plenty of physical activity, managing stress, avoiding tobacco, and maintaining a healthy weight.

CardioVisual is partnering with the Alliance on Aging Research and their Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day, to increase awareness of HVD through reliable and accurate information patients to access on their mobile devices with CardioVisual’s app.