Croí hosting free heart check event at SuperValu Castlebar today
HEART and stroke charity Croí has launched Heart Valve Disease (HVD) Awareness Week. As part of the week, Croí will be hosting four free stethoscope check events in Galway, Mayo, Limerick and Dublin. Croí expects to listen to over 1,000 hearts over the course of the week.
This marks an expansion from 2022 when Croí hosted one such event in Eyre Square in Galway - they listened to 300 shoppers’ hearts and a staggering 10% of those seen were referred to their GP for further tests. This was a worrying number given those 300 shoppers were seemingly healthy people that happened to take advantage of the free check.
The free stethoscope check event in Mayo takes place at Supervalu Castlebar today (Tuesday, September 12) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The expansion of HVD Awareness Week in Ireland is clearly required. A previous survey compiled by the European Heart Health Survey shows that Ireland lags significantly behind its EU counterparts when it comes to the frequency of stethoscope checks.
The research showed that just 32% of Irish patients over the age of 60 received a stethoscope check each time they visited their GP, compared with 76% in France and 57% in Belgium, while 9% of those surveyed said they had never received a stethoscope check from their GP.
This is despite the fact that stethoscope testing is recognised as the key detector of HVD, the name given to any malfunction or abnormality of one or more the of heart’s four valves, affecting the flow of blood through the heart.
Associated with ageing, the condition is estimated to affect 13% of the population who are over the age of 75, with the risk of heart disease increases significantly after 65. Common symptoms include breathlessness, fatigue and dizziness, though in some cases there may be no visible symptoms.
Ireland’s ageing population is leading to an increased prevalence of HVD. It is estimated that across Europe the number of people living with HVD will double by 2040 and triple by 2060. HVD has been described as ‘the next cardiac epidemic’.
To mark international Heart Valve Disease Awareness Week, which runs from September 11 - 17, Croí is calling on people to ‘Listen to their Hearts’, and reminding those over 65 to ask their GPs for regular stethoscope checks.
Speaking at the launch of the campaign, Neil Johnson, CEO of Croí, encouraged anyone who is in the area to take five minutes out of their day to stop by and have a check - it could make all the difference to your long-term health.”
The free stethoscope check event in Mayo takes place at Supervalu Castlebar today (Tuesday, September 12) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.