“We’re talking about prevention, a highly debated topic but which, when you take stock in search of something concrete, often shows a very difficult situation. This, however, does not happen in Lombardy, because it combines the individual experiences of some subjects and the ability to response of structures and institutions, whether public or private. In fact, you know that in Lombardy, in terms of welfare and healthcare, the public and private sectors are the two legs of a single structure, a single body that must march in a harmonious and coordinated way” . This was stated by Guido Bertolaso, Councilor for Welfare of the Lombardy Region, on the occasion of the event ‘Prevention in travel.#piùmovimentomenotrombosi’, organized by the Lombardy Region in collaboration with the Vincere la Trombosi association at the Marco Biagi room of Palazzo Lombardia in Milan .
“There are many ‘Federica Fedele’ in Lombardy – states councilor Bertolaso, referring to the founder of the Vincere la Thrombosis Association, who in 2017 was affected by deep vein thrombosis and was treated at San Raffaele in Milan – and she is an extremely interesting experience because many pathologies and many problems that are not addressed with enough attention by the institutions are brought to our attention by those who have been through it, in fact – underlines Bertolaso - it is not possible to understand the anxieties, the difficulties, the problems that the people involved in these situations experience, problems that they are often forced to suffer because, sometimes, overwhelmed by emergencies, politics is unable to deal with important things like these”.
Occasions like today’s are therefore stimuli for the councilor “that must draw our attention to the many issues that we must try to resolve every day. This is why it is important to listen to the testimonies of those who have lived these experiences first hand. Then think about how many third sector associations have been founded by parents of children suffering from rare diseases. Associations that deal with hundreds of rare diseases that would otherwise not be known, analyzed and organised, as is finally starting to be done today.”
“Grandfather’s experience teaches me that we now have such a vast panorama of rare diseases that it concerns 15-20% of the pathologies we have to face – he underlines – even if they affect a single individual or a small number of people. Even in this case therefore you need a parent who has experienced this problem first hand to make it clear that we need to intervene. The other necessary component is the scientific one, you need to find someone who understands your problem, studies it, explains it and then solves it We can’t solve everything, but progress is being made.”
Deep vein thrombosis is one of the many topics that we can certainly manage in terms of prevention, organization and the contribution of the various institutions that deal with it. From this point of view, in Lombardy we are very lucky because the network of territorial centers of competence is as widespread as the railway network – states Bertolaso, recalling the title of the event ‘Prevention whilst travelling’ – which is a good sign and a source of comfort for the citizen. The structures that deal with this pathology, such as the San Raffaele, the Polyclinic and many others, now have such a level of competence that many come here from other parts of Italy to find a solution”.
Returning to the topic of prevention, Bertolaso recalls that among the behaviors useful for reducing the risk of deep vein thrombosis there is walking: “Lifestyles and habits are fully included in the scope of prevention and walking more helps to reduce the risk of thrombosis. We are working on organizing interventions that will ensure that everyone is more attentive to the problem of prevention and is more aware”, he concludes.
