Campaign Breathes New Life into Heart Failure Care
The Lebanese Society of Cardiology (LSC), the World Heart
Federation (WHF), and AstraZeneca have launched the “Shedding light on your
heart health to brighten up your life” campaign to help improve Heart Failure
prevention, diagnosis, and treatment in Lebanon through media outreaches and the
regional “Your Health is Your Life” Arabic Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Sehtak.Hayatak/ 1-5
“It’s vital people learn more about Heart Failure so those at risk or living with the
disease can reach out to their doctors, especially once they recognize its symptoms
which include shortness of breath, persistent coughing, persistent fatigue and
weakness, ankle swelling, and impaired thinking,” said Dr. Malek Mohamad, LSC
president, at a campaign launch event which also featured presentations from Dr
Tony Abdel Massih, Chairman of the Heart Failure Working Group at the LSC; Dr
Hadi Skouri, Heart Failure specialist at the American University of Beirut Medical
Center; and Dr Georges Saade, the WHF representative at the LSC.
“This is more and more important as there are novel treatments that can reduce
mortality and hospital admissions; and provide improved quality of life through
comprehensive therapy which offers many more event-free years.” 6
“Medical advances only materialize into concrete health benefits when all those
concerned come together to prevent and treat diseases,” said Dr. Hiba Baroudi,
Medical Affairs Head, Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism at AstraZeneca Near
East & Maghreb. “We are counting on the media’s support to help alert people at risk
of Heart Failure, especially those with symptoms, so they consult with their
physicians on how best to prevent, diagnose, and treat their condition.”
About Heart Failure
Heart Failure is a disease in which the heart cannot pump enough blood around the
body. 7 It is a chronic and degenerative disease with approximately half of patients
dying within five years of diagnosis. 8 Despite its seriousness, common symptoms are
not always easily recognised. They include shortness of breath, persistent coughing,
persistent fatigue and weakness, ankle swelling, and impaired thinking. 9 Public
awareness about heart failure and its impact is worryingly low, leading to
underdiagnosis, costly hospital admissions, and premature deaths. 10
Heart Failure affects approximately 64 million people worldwide 11 and can be as life-
threatening as some of the most common cancers in both men (prostate and bladder
cancer) and women (breast cancer). 12 It is the number one cause of hospital
admissions among those over 65 years old; and impairs to a great extent the
patient’s quality of life as it feels like growing old overnight. 13 While Hypertension,
Cardiovascular Disease and being overweight are key risk factors, Diabetes in
particular doubles the risk of developing Heart Failure.
For more information, please contact:
Jean Akouri, Akouri Communications
[email protected]
References
1. https://www.facebook.com/Lebanese-Society-of-Cardiology-1582285291828185/
2. https://www.world-heart-federation.org/
3. https://www.astrazeneca.com
4. https://www.facebook.com/Sehtak.Hayatak
5. https://www.spotlightonheartfailure.com
6. Vaduganathan M, et al. Lancet 2020;396:121−128
7. Mayo Clinic. Heart failure; 2020/05/29 [cited 2020 Jun 26]. Available from: URL: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/heart-failure/symptoms-causes/syc-20373142.
8. Mozaffarian D et al. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2016 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association.
Circulation 2016; 133(4):e38-360.
9. American Heart Association. Warning Signs of Heart Failure [cited 2020 07 Aug]. Available from: URL:
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-failure/warning-signs-of-heart-failure
10. World Heart Federation. Accelerate Change Together: Heart Failure Gap Review; 2020 [cited 2020 Aug 6]. Available from:
URL: https://www.world-heart-federation.org/wp-content/uploads/HF-Gap-Review-Final.pdf
11. Vos T et al. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 328 diseases and
injuries for 195 countries, 1990–2016: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. The Lancet
2017; 390(10100):1211–59
12. Mamas MA et al. Do patients have worse outcomes in heart failure than in cancer? A primary care-based cohort study
with 10-year follow-up in Scotland. Eur J Heart Fail 2017; 19(9):1095–104.
13. Azad N, Lemay G. Management of chronic heart failure in the older population. J Geriatr Cardiol 2014; 11(4):329–37.
14. https://www.everydayhealth.com/diabetes/diabetes-nearly-doubles-risk-of-developing-heart-failure/
