World Heart Day - Heart Heroes

Heart Heroes … people from all walks of life who are acting now to live longer, better, heart-healthy lives by making a promise:

• A promise to our families to cook and eat more healthily
• A promise to our children to exercise more and help them to be more active, to say no to smoking, and help our loved ones to stop
• A promise as a healthcare professional to help patients give up smoking and lower their cholesterol
• A promise as a policymaker to support policies that promote healthy hearts
• A promise as an employee to invest in heart-healthy workplaces
• A simple promise … for My Heart, for Your Heart, for All Our Hearts.

World Heart Day

Heart health is at the heart of all health. When you look after your heart, it means eating and drinking well, exercising, stopping smoking... all the things that make you not only healthier but also feel good and able to enjoy your life to the fullest.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disability in the world, killing 17.5 million people a year. That's a third of all deaths on the planet and half of all non-communicable disease-related deaths. Around 80% of these deaths are in low- and middle-income countries where human and financial resources are least able to address the CVD burden.

World Heart Day plays a crucial role in changing all of this. It is a vital global platform that raises awareness and encourages individuals, families, communities, and governments to take action now. Together we have the power to reduce the burden of, and premature deaths from, CVD, helping people everywhere to live longer, better, heart-healthy lives.

The World Heart Federation exists to prevent and control these diseases through awareness campaigns and action, promoting the exchange of information, ideas, and science among those involved in cardiovascular care, advocating for disease prevention and control by promoting healthy diets, physical activity, and tobacco-free living at an individual, community and policymaker level. There work is organized in four programme areas.

     Awareness

     Advocacy

     Applied Research
     Sharing Science and  Building Capacity

Over 70 percent of all cardiac and breathing emergencies occur in the home when a family member is present and available to help a victim.

The world’s most common cause of death. CVDs Facts and Figures

Learn the signs and symptoms of a heart attack or stroke 

Warning Signs of a Heart Attack include:
* Chest discomfort, including squeezing or pain in the center of the chest between the breasts or behind the breastbone
*  Discomfort and/or pain spreading to other areas of the upper body such as one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach
*  Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort
Other signs include unexplained weakness or fatigue, anxiety or unusual nervousness, indigestion or gas-like pain, breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, vomiting, light-headedness, and collapse.

Warning Signs of a Stroke include:

*  Sudden weakness of the face, arm, or leg, most often on one side of the body
*  Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
*  Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
*  Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination

*  Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
If experiencing any of these signs, which could come and go, call your emergency services/ambulance immediately.  If there is no emergency response number, seek medical attention as soon as possible.

CVD risk factors include:
Women and CVD  - Facts and Tips
Visit the World Heart Foundation for more information.