National Heart Month 2023

The British Heart Foundation declares February National Heart Month, raising awareness of the risks and signs of heart conditions and diseases.

There is a huge range of conditions and diseases that can affect the heart and cardiovascular system. Prevention is key when looking after your heart, eating well, keeping active and looking out for symptoms that something isn’t quite right in order to seek medical help.

Most conditions which affect the heart can be managed conservatively with diet, medications and minimally invasive treatments, such as angina, high blood pressure and diabetes, whereas some more serious conditions may require surgery, such as congenital heart disease, heart valve disorders and atherosclerosis.

Awareness of heart conditions and symptoms is important when it comes to diagnosis and treatment. However, a heart attack can strike without any prior warning.

This year, the British Heart Foundation is striving for more people to be comfortable and confident in providing CPR.

They are providing a free 15-minute interactive online training course called RevivR.

Over 30,000 people a year suffer a cardiac arrest, and receiving immediate CPR and using a defibrillator doubles a person’s chances of survival.

Whilst it is hoped that these vital skills won’t need to be called upon, having this knowledge could one day save even a loved one’s life.