Women will have cardiovascular disease awareness day

Classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “the leading cause of death in the world”, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) account for one third of global female deaths, surpassing, in lethality, diseases such as breast and breast cancer. uterus. Despite this, the risks and ways of preventing problems resulting from heart and blood vessel diseases remain little known.

The need to inform and clarify the population and, especially, the female public about cardiovascular risk factors and the importance of early diagnosis and treatment motivated the National Congress to approve, in March of this year, the creation of the National Day for Disease Awareness Cardiovascular in Women, to be celebrated every 14th of May.

The proposal, contained in the former Bill (PL) 1.136/19, authored by federal deputy Mariana Carvalho (PSDB-RO), was sanctioned by the President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro, and published in the Official Diary of the Union today (1st). It is celebrated by members of the Brazilian Society of Cardiology (SBC) – the entity that contributed to the drafting of the bill.

“Affirmative actions are essential to reinforce the need to ensure the essential equality between men and women, particularly in relation to raising awareness of cardiovascular diseases in women, which, unfortunately, are still neglected in Brazil”, said the representative of the SBC Fiscal Council, Gláucia Maria Moraes de Oliveira, when the proposal was initially approved in the Chamber of Deputies, still in 2021 – to then be sent to the Senate.

The text that transforms the initiative into law establishes that the institution of the National Day for the Awareness of Cardiovascular Diseases in Women aims to allow the Government to carry out actions in partnership with medical entities, universities, schools and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other entities. of civil society.

Among these actions are the organization of lectures, events, and training on cardiovascular diseases in women; in addition to carrying out actions to prevent cardiovascular diseases and raise awareness of cardiovascular risk factors. The objective, according to the text of Law 14.320, is “to expand and anticipate the diagnosis, through the recognition of warning signs” and “to allow early treatment and rehabilitation” in order to “minimize the impact of cardiovascular diseases on the lives of women”. patients, their families and the entire Brazilian society”.

“We are aware of the importance of disclosing alarming data on the high morbidity and mortality of women from cardiovascular diseases, which is becoming earlier, especially after the covid-19 pandemic. The lay population’s awareness of these data is relevant so that we can motivate them to make lifestyle changes and other preventive measures,” said the president of the Department of Women’s Cardiology, in a note released when the bill was approved by the Senate, from SBC, Maria Cristina Costa de Almeida.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular diseases include coronary diseases (ie, those of the blood vessels that supply the heart); cerebrovascular (the blood vessels that supply the brain); peripheral arterial limbs (from the blood vessels that supply the arms and legs); damage to heart muscle and heart valves due to rheumatic fever, caused by streptococcal bacteria; congenital heart disease (malformations in the structure of the heart existing from birth) and cases of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the veins of the legs, which can become dislodged and move to the heart and lungs).

According to the WHO, the behavioral risk factors that most contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases are inadequate diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol. The effects of these behavioral risk factors can manifest through high blood pressure, high blood glucose, hyperlipidemia, overweight and obesity.

(Brazil Agency)