The Global Heart Hub is the first global non-profit organization established to provide a voice for those affected by cardiovascular disease. An alliance of heart patient organizations, aiming to create a unified global voice for those living with or affected by heart disease.
In many societies where Covid-19 is still, unfortunately, impacting our lives, a campaign was established to highlight the risks of not seeking medical treatments as soon as symptoms of a heart disease show, to the risk of generating severe complications and life-threatening consequences. Vistatec is encouraged by the great work of the Global Heart Hub in collaboration with FH Europe (a pan European charity focused on inherited dyslipidaemias, including Familial Hypercholesterolemia – the most common inherited condition, leading to premature atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes) is undertaking around the world, and is happy to play a small part in assisting the translation of content for the global campaign.
„It’s one of the unintended consequences of COVID-19 that people suffering heart attacks and strokes are delaying in seeking medical help, resulting in worse outcomes. Also, people living with known heart conditions who are experiencing new or worsening symptoms are delaying too long before calling their doctor or going to hospital,“ says Neil Johnson, Director of Development & Strategy, Global Heart Hub.
With a global network of 65 affiliates around the world, the Global Heart Hub is looking to raise awareness of heart diseases. The new campaign launched on June 15, 2020, by the Global Heart Hub (the international alliance of heart patient organizations) in collaboration with FH Europe (the European FH Patient Network), #JustGo aims at sharing a powerful and essential message that can save lives: ‚If you are experiencing a heart or stroke emergency – this is NOT the time to ’stay at home‘ – When your heart says so.‘
Indeed, with confinement in place in various countries and fear of catching the virus, numbers of patients seeking medical help have dropped dramatically by more than 50%. Worldwide hospitals have seen a drop in heart-related interventions and admissions.
„This is the strongest evidence yet of the collateral damage caused by the pandemic. Fear of catching the coronavirus means even people in the midst of a life-threatening heart attack are too afraid to go to hospital for life-saving treatment. There has been a lack of public reassurance that every effort has been made to provide clean hospital areas for non-COVID-19 patients. Yet the risk of dying of a heart attack is much greater than that of dying of COVID-19. Moreover, cardiac death is largely preventable if patients with a heart attack come to hospital in time to get treatment. What we are witnessing is an unnecessary loss of life. Our priority must be to stop this from happening. We must continue to save the lives we know how to save“, said Professor Barbara Casadei, President of the European Society of Cardiology.
Cardiology professionals are warning against ignoring symptoms and urging anyone with „a heart condition such as heart failure, heart valve disease, or those diagnosed with Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH)“ or living with anyone affected by these diseases to contact a doctor or a hospital urgently.
„Many young patients with Familial Hypercholesterolemia, or other conditions predisposing to heart attacks, have advanced atherosclerosis but have not yet had a heart attack. Coronavirus infection could trigger that first heart attack„, says FH Europe’s Dr. Samuel Gidding.
The campaign also shares the symptoms associated with heart attacks, heart failures, familial hypercholesterolemia, strokes, and valve disease. Some of these symptoms include chest pain, loss of vision, or ability to walk, shortness of breath, or dizziness, amongst many others.
The campaign endorsed by the European Society of Cardiology, the European Atherosclerosis Society, International Atherosclerosis Society and supported by the World Heart Federation and the Global Alliance for Patient Access, ends on July 31, 2020.
„If you are experiencing a heart or stroke emergency – this is NOT the time to ’stay at home‘ – When your heart says so, #JustGo.“
For further details on the campaign, visit:
https://globalhearthub.org/justgo/ or contact:
Neil Johnson, Director of Development & Strategy, Global Heart Hub [email protected]
Magdalena Daccord, Chief Executive, FH Europe [email protected]
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About
The Global Heart Hub is an alliance of heart patient organizations from across the world united in providing a voice for those affected by heart disease & stroke and advocating for optimal patient outcomes across the care pathway from screening & detection, through treatment, recovery, self-care, and self-management.
FH Europe is a European FH Patient Network, whose mission includes the advancement of health and the prevention of early cardiovascular disease, particularly but not exclusively by the provision and sharing of information about dyslipidemia, including familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and related conditions; and the promotion of research into the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of FH and the dissemination of the useful results of such research.