This year the focus of the Week of the Heart is on shortness of breath, one of the most important and most visible symptoms of heart failure.
Sometimes the heart does not pump as well as the body needs and can no longer supply the body’s oxygen needs. This is called heart failure. If detected in time, this insidious disease can be treated quickly, improving the prognosis.
An estimated 220,000 Belgians, or 2 percent of the population, suffer from heart failure. In addition to shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing, symptoms include loss of movement, a feeling of suffocation when lying down, swelling of certain parts of the body (edema) and sudden weight gain.
The Week of the Heart is now in its 41st edition. The slogan of the new campaign is “Short of breath? Your birthday is the perfect opportunity to detect the first symptoms of heart failure”.
“An awareness campaign is imperative for more than one reason,” says Sandrine Daoud, Director General of the Belgian Cardiology League. ‘People take too little time to listen to their bodies, but need to know what the alarming signals are. The sooner the patient receives treatment, the better. In the context of the corona crisis, it is important that other pathologies also receive the necessary attention. ‘
Early diagnosis makes it possible to develop an appropriate strategy for the treatment of the disease. Treatment can be through medication, but also through lifestyle changes and regular, adapted physical activity.
During the coming week, events will take place in numerous cardiac rehabilitation centers and hospitals in Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia. This ranges from information stands and diet workshops to cardiac resuscitation courses.
Sometimes the heart does not pump as well as the body needs and can no longer supply the body’s oxygen needs. This is called heart failure. If detected in time, this insidious disease can be treated quickly, improving the prognosis. An estimated 220,000 Belgians, or 2 percent of the population, suffer from heart failure. In addition to shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing, symptoms include loss of movement, a feeling of suffocation when lying down, swelling of certain parts of the body (edema) and sudden weight gain. The Week of the Heart is now in its 41st edition. The slogan of the new campaign is “Short of breath? Your birthday is the perfect opportunity to detect the first symptoms of heart failure”. “An awareness campaign is imperative for more than one reason,” says Sandrine Daoud, Director General of the Belgian Cardiology League. ‘People take too little time to listen to their bodies, but need to know what the alarming signals are. The sooner the patient receives treatment, the better. In the context of the corona crisis, it is important that other pathologies also receive the necessary attention. ”Early diagnosis makes it possible to develop an appropriate strategy in the treatment of the disease. Treatment can be through medication, but also through lifestyle changes and regular, adapted physical activity. Throughout the coming week, events will take place in numerous cardiac rehabilitation centers and hospitals in Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia. This ranges from information stands and diet workshops to cardiac resuscitation courses.
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