Date: Thursday 3 June
Time: 1.00pm to 2.30pm BST

Report launch: The invisible epidemic – Rethinking the detection and treatment of structural heart disease in Europe, supported by Edwards Lifesciences.

Structural heart disease (SHD) is a set of cardiovascular conditions that affect the structure of the heart. If left untreated, SHD can shorten life expectancy and severely impact an individual’s quality of life.

In Europe, an estimated 14 million people live with SHD. By 2040, this number is expected to increase to 20 million. Fortunately, most of SHD is treatable, but several barriers, including poor awareness, under-detection, and unequal access to treatment, persist. And underlying ageism is a contributing factor that impacts the likelihood of diagnosis all the way to treatment.

This webinar shared our new findings and recommendations on what governments and healthcare systems and key actors in this space must do to improve the detection and treatment of SHD. Key European and national policymakers responded to our findings. 

This webinar was chaired by: Professor Huon Gray, retired National Clinical Director for Heart Disease at NHS England.   

Speakers included: 

• Baroness Judith Jolly, UK House of Lords  
• Professor Paolo Magni, Professor of Pathology at Università degli Studi di Milano  
• Ken Bluestone, Head of Policy and Influencing, Age International  
• Silvia Perel-Levin, Chair of the NGO Committee on Ageing at the UN, Geneva