25 Million People Die From It Each Year
According to the CDC, more than 25,000 people in the U.S. die of heart valve disease each year. But less than 50% of patients are treated in time enough. If left untreated, it can be deadly, but it is generally treatable with a proper diagnosis. In fact, treatment generally significantly improves a patient’s quality of life. To diagnose a heart valve disease, your doctor may ask about your symptoms, listen to your heart, or order imaging tests to look at your heart. In newborns, screening tests can detect and help diagnose heart valve conditions. Most heart valve conditions are treatable.
Patients must educate themselves on the symptoms and seek the proper method of evaluation to discover their diagnosis. The patient advocacy nonprofit Heart Valve Voice US is launching its #Ask4Echo campaign to empower patients to advocate for themselves and ask their health care professionals if an echocardiogram is right for them. Learn the signs and symptoms of heart valve disease at ask4echo.com.