Also in Forlì participates in “Keep your heart in shape!”, The campaign promoted by the Emilia-Romagna Region to inform citizens about the risks of cardiovascular diseases and to prevent and reduce damage. At the heart of the program is a day of screening and free consultations for risk assessment in real mobile clinics. From 10 am to 6 pm in the truck truck in Piazza Saffi, a team of health professionals will undertake three different types of free check-ups: determination of the lipid and carbohydrate structure, with a sample of a drop of capillary blood; detection of the main vital parameters, such as blood pressure and body mass index (Bmi); and screening for asymptomatic atrial fibrillation.
Operators of the Department of Public Health and of the Ser.T., with the support of the realities of the third sector, will provide information on correct lifestyles (physical activity, healthy eating and smoking cessation). Cardiopulmonary resuscitation instructors certified by the American Heart Association will give lessons on the use of the defibrillator. Healthcare professionals and volunteers from the Forlivese Cardiological Association will provide advice on the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and will screen for peripheral vasculopathy by measuring the ABI (ankle-arm pressure index).
At 11 am the regional councilor Raffaele Donini will open the conference “Keep your heart in shape”, which will be held in the municipal hall in Piazza Saffi 8. In the afternoon, at the Statue of Aurelio Saffi, there will be two free walks open to citizens: at 3 pm cultural walk, with an expert guide from Confguide for the historical monuments of the city; at 3.30 pm sports walk, up to the urban park, accompanied by their dogs on a leash, with the help of the Local Police.
The point on the countryside in Emilia Romagna
Nine appointments already behind, 5,000 Emilia-Romagna visited between September and October in the main squares of Emilia-Romagna to prevent and raise awareness on cardiovascular risks. Up to now, on average, over 400 people have taken advantage of the free check-ups offered by the mobile clinics at each stage that the Department of Health has prepared together with the Health Authorities, for an overall estimate of about 5,000 Emilia-Romagna who, including last two stages, they had the opportunity to screen and receive free consultations from cardiologists and nurses for risk assessment.
Among the available tests, the determination of the lipid structure, with a simple sampling of a drop of capillary blood, the detection of the main vital parameters, such as blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) and the screening of asymptomatic atrial fibrillation. “This initiative has shown us in a very concrete way the meaning and importance of prevention – affirms the councilor for health policies, Raffaele Donin i -: thousands of Emilia-Romagna who previously were not aware of their cardiovascular risk now instead they could measure it. The people who, following the screening, needed further study were directed to specialized courses, which we hope will lead them to remove any possible complication “.
The information and communication campaign
To the appointments in the squares, the Region has also added an information campaign for “Keep your heart in shape”, declined both digitally and in brochures available to the public as well as in the venues of the initiative also in health centers, starting from the houses of the health, with some simple rules to reduce cardiovascular risks. First of all, it is important to carry out simple checks on a regular basis on blood pressure, blood sugar value, total and LDL cholesterol (the so-called “bad” cholesterol) or a body weight higher than expected based on age and height.
Then there is the issue of habits and behaviors: in addition to avoiding smoking, a healthy diet and a non-sedentary lifestyle are important. As for nutrition, the advice ranges from reducing the use of salt to a preference for fish and white meats, passing through the use of extra virgin olive oil and moderation of alcohol consumption. From the point of view of movement, they range from physical exercise for at least 30 minutes a day to good practices such as preferring the stairs to the elevator or the bike to the car for small trips.
Cardiovascular risks, some data
In 2019, more than 250,000 subjects possessing a ticket exemption for arterial hypertension were registered in Emilia-Romagna but the disease is much more widespread, affecting up to a third of the population; more than 65,000 are carriers of ischemic heart disease and about 20,000 patients with heart failure. 2% of the population also suffers from asymptomatic atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder that is often undiagnosed.
In Italy the prevalence of citizens suffering from cardiovascular disability is equal to 4.4 per thousand (Istat data). 23.5% of Italian pharmaceutical expenditure (equal to 1.34 of the gross domestic product) is destined for drugs for the cardiovascular system (Report on the state of health of the country, 2000). In Italy, the direct health costs for cardiovascular diseases have been estimated at around 16 billion euros, to which more than 5 billion incurred in terms of indirect costs must be added. To all this we must add the days of work (and productivity) lost after the cardiovascular event: it is estimated that on average in the year following an acute cardiac event, cardiac patients lose 59 days of work for a cost estimated by the INPS. of approximately 755 million euros.
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