Steve McCabe, Member of Parliament for Birmingham Selly Oak, is proudly backing an upcoming Heart Valve Disease Awareness campaign.
On Thursday the 24th of February, UK heart valve disease charity Heart Valve Voice and the European Campaign “Valve for Life” will be offering free heart checks from a Heart Valve Disease Double decker bus in Birmingham City Centre from 10:00-15:00.
The bus will be located on Edgbaston Street in the city centre and a team of clinicians from Queen Elizabeth Hospital will be offering advice to people on heart valve disease, and there will be the opportunity to have a heart rhythm check and a stethoscope check (cardiac auscultation) which detects heart valve disease.
Heart valve disease is a common, serious, but treatable condition that affects 1.5 million over 65s in the UK. The condition is detected by listening to the heart using a stethoscope. A recent study found that there are approximately 300,000 people in the UK living with severe aortic stenosis (most common form of valve disease) and if left untreated, 50% of those patients will die within two years.
Steve has said:
‘As a valve disease patient I have been working alongside UK heart valve disease charity Heart Valve Voice and the European Campaign “Valve for Life” in the run up to their Heart Valve Bus Birmingham visit.
Raising awareness of the signs and symptoms is so important and the campaign will help people learn and recognise symptoms in themselves and others.
I will be there on the day and would encourage local residents to visit the Bus and speak to clinicians and treated patients’ and get a stethoscope check.
Wil Woan, CEO of Heart Valve Voice said:
‘I’m looking forward to getting the message out to the people of Birmingham about the importance of heart valve disease treatment and I hope we can raise awareness that a simple stethoscope check could save a life.’
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