On September 12th, UK heart valve disease charity Heart Valve Voice visited Westminster as part of Heart Valve Disease Awareness Week 2023. The charity parked the Your Heart Matters Bus in New Palace Yard and offered stethoscope checks to MPs and staff to highlight the importance of early detection of the disease.
Heart valve disease is a serious condition that affects 1.5 million over 65s in the UK. However, awareness of the red flag symptoms of breathlessness, chest pain and lightheadedness is very low.
The symptoms of heart valve disease may not be immediately obvious, with many people believing them to be natural signs of ageing. However, If left untreated, 50% of patients with severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis, the most common type of heart valve disease, will die within two years.
The condition is detected with a simple stethoscope check, where a doctor listens to your heart to see if the valves are working properly. That lifesaving check only takes a couple of minutes.
It was great to meet with the charity and hear about all the work they’re doing to promote early detection of the disease, and I’m happy to pledge my support to helping them ensure we listen to more hearts and detect the disease earlier.
