With one in 50 Australians affected by heart failure, a condition that claims eight lives every day, Hearts4Heart has launched the first Heart Failure Awareness Week, running from 27 June to 3 July.

Every year, around 520,000 people across the country fall victim to heart failure and live with the impacts.

Heart disease and heart attacks remain Australia’s most significant threat, killing more people than any other cause in the country, yet Hearts4Heart say there is little public education or awareness.

Australia’s foremost preventative cardiologist Dr Warrick Bishop, who heads the national Heart Health Network, says that as a nation “we need to take a preventative approach to curb these numbers and save lives”.

“The low levels of awareness about heart failure are leaving Australians vulnerable to this condition.”

Heart Failure Awareness Week aims to reduce the impact of heart failure through raising awareness of the risks, recognising symptoms, and educating caregivers and health professionals around patient care.

“Sadly, preventative health testing currently does not focus sufficiently on heart health, and it needs to change,” says Dr Bishop.

“We are still largely taking a tow-truck approach and manage heart disease, heart attacks, and heart failure once it occurs, which often is too late.”

Early symptoms of heart failure range from shortness of breath after just a little exercise, an irregular heartbeat or palpitations, swelling of legs, feet, or stomach, and low or no energy, among others.

“It is pressingly important to not disregard such seemingly small symptoms. Best yet, go get your heart health checked,” says Dr Bishop.

virtualheartcheck.com.au is a heart health risk calculator which acts as the first step in identifying your risk group. From there, you may benefit from a 3D Heart Imaging Scan to help with further recommendations.

Hearts4Heart recommends that “if you’re over 65, or experiencing any of the above symptoms – be heart smart. Get your heart checked! You’ve only got one heart – don’t fail it.”

Heart Failure Awareness Week is the perfect opportunity to act; book your heart health check today.

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