Trapani, 04 June 2024 – A tailor-made intervention organized for Saturday 08 June 2024 from 8.30am to 1.30pm which will be offered free cholesterol measurement and a consultation with a cardiologist specialist. To book: www.nelcuoredellatuacitta.it
In a few minutes, via lancing device[1]it will be possible to know the levels of your lipid profile in the clinic premises, located on the first floor of the “Abele Ajello” Hospital in Via Salemi 175 in Mazara del Vallo (TP), and subsequently delve into the results with a specialist.
The Mazara stage represents the first of four in different regions of the peninsula and is part of the awareness initiative “In the heart of your city” promoted by Novartis as part of the campaign “Listen to your heartbeat”supported by AISC (Italian Association of Heart Failure Patients) e FIPC (Italian Foundation for the Heart).
An event that aims to help especially people with medium and high cardiovascular risk – for example those who have already had a heart attack or stroke, those who suffer from diabetes or are familiar with this type of pathology – not to underestimate and reduce one’s risk level thanks to better knowledge and management of LDL levels, one of the first causes of incurring a new acute event.
THE MAIN MODIFIABLE RISK FACTOR: CHOLESTEROL
LDL cholesterolemia (LDL-C) is the main modifiable factor for the reduction of cardiovascular risk, as demonstrated by decades of clinical studies that have highlighted its causal role in determining atherosclerotic disease (ASCVD)[2],[3]. Exposure over time to high levels of LDL cholesterol contributes to the formation of atheromatous plaque in the arteries, thus increasing the risk of acute ischemic events, such as myocardial infarction and stroke.[4].
THE CHALLENGE OF REDUCING CHOLESTEROL LEVELS, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY HAD AN ACUTE EVENT
In patients who have overcome a heart attack or stroke, secondary prevention becomes a priority to reduce the risk of recurrence and therefore improve their prognosis and quality of life. The correct management of these patients must, therefore, necessarily aim to achieve the LDL cholesterolemia values recommended by the joint Guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS), which are those lower than 55 mg/dL.
Objectives, those of monitoring and achieving target cholesterol levels, which do not appear to be easy to obtain: in Sicilyfor example, about 62% of the patients already being treated for hypercholesterolemia do not achieve adequate control of their LDL cholesterol levels despite being treated with lipid-lowering drugs[5] [6]..
Although it is the most easily modifiable risk factor, obtaining an effective and sustained reduction in LDL over time is still a challenge, so much so that 8 out of 10 high risk patients are unable to reduce their LDL cholesterol to recommended levels. It adds to this difficulty adhering to therapya scenario that highlighted how only 43.6% of the population already in treatment is adherent, reporting that this decreases over time due to the complexity of the therapeutic regimen and side effects.[7]
THE NUMBERS OF CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
In Sicily in 2020, over 20,000 deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases were recorded (44.4% among men and 55.6% among women). These pathologies are now the leading cause of death in adults in Italy, with over 220,000 deaths every year, of which 30% can be attributed to a condition of thrombosis or atherosclerosis of the arterial wall. Globally, 1/3 of ischemic heart disease is attributable to hypercholesterolemia which is responsible for 4.4 million deaths per year.
“The importance of adequate adherence and knowledge of one’s risk of incurring a new acute event represent themes on which we want to engage. Initiatives like these – intervenes Ferdinando CroceExtraordinary Commissioner of the Trapani Provincial Health Authority – allow us to offer our patients resources to improve their quality of life and encourage their care by the many centers of excellence present in our area”.
“Cases attributable to thrombotic conditions or atherosclerosis in which hypercholesterolemia represents a key risk factor continue to be of concern. Cardiovascular diseases – precise Michael GabrieleDirector of the UOC UTIC with Cardiology and Cardiostimulation Center of the PO “Abele Ajello” – Unfortunately, they are confirmed as the main cause of death in the world, even more than tumors. Although the innovation available allows preventive intervention on approximately 80% of cardiovascular events, persevering with activities of this type helps to reduce their incidence and save many lives, especially in patients who have already had a previous event and who, precisely by virtue of this condition, they must pay more attention to their treatment path”.
“Citizens’ awareness of cardiovascular risk and of what can be done in practice to prevent pathologies or their worsening is still low. One of the possible actions – continues Emanuela FolcoPresident of the Italian Heart Foundation – is certainly to promote healthy preventive behaviors and, where a pathological condition is diagnosed, it is essential to guarantee adherence to both healthy lifestyles and prescribed medical therapies, without interrupting or modifying them”.
“Prevention and attention to risk factors is a commitment that AISC-APS supports as a crucial path to taking care of one’s heart and avoiding pathologies such as heart failure and cardiovascular diseases which heavily impact the duration and quality of people’s lives. Information, which also takes into account the important results achieved by scientific research in the field of prevention and therapy, is the basis of this path and must constitute an integral part of the care system ensured by the national and regional health service. Every initiative aimed at informing the population represents an added value in preventing the disease and in the development of local healthcare – he states Maria Rosaria Di SommaCEO of AISC-APS – confirms the need to put prevention at the center with a leading role of the general practitioner, the hospital specialist, the institutions and the collaboration of the Third Sector”.
The theme is also fundamental for the success of reducing cardiovascular risk adherence and persistence to therapywhich, together with the proximity and territorialitymust be at the center of the new healthcare structure to address the challenges of chronicity. Essential factors that require joint efforts and partnerships between public and private for the implementation of new care pathways that put patients at the centre.
“For people suffering from hypercholesterolemia it is essential to be able to turn to a specialized center, where thanks to a synergistic and multidisciplinary approach in patient management – he concludes Chiara GnocchiCountry Communication & Patient Engagement Head, Novartis Italia, – better management can be guaranteed. Collaborations and campaigns like this become useful not only for promoting correct information, but also for re-establishing the importance of correct dialogue between doctor and patient”.
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[1] NHS – What is high cholesterol? https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-cholesterol/ (last accessed 25/08/2023)
[2] Ference BA, et al. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018;72(10):1141-1156
[3] Mach F, et al. Eur Heart J. 2020;41(1):111-188
[4][4] Catapano Al, et al Guidelines for the Management of Dyslepidaemias. Eur Heart J. 2016; 37(39):2999-3038
[5]OsMed 2021
[6] ISTAT 2020 and 2022
[7]OsMed 2022
For information:
| Eleonora Adamo Novartis Italy | Rita Tosi Weber Shandwick |
