Aortic stenosis is a heart valve disease affecting over 30 thousand Portuguese, which can be fatal if not diagnosed in time, alerted Rui Campante Teles, in the TV show “Bom Dia Portugal”, broadcasted on RTP1 last September 16. The interventional cardiologist and national coordinator of the campaign “Corações de Amanhã” (Tomorrow Hearts) explained the most common symptoms of the disease and the importance for patients to consult immediately a cardiologist in order to undertake the adequate treatment, which consists in the implantation of a percutaneous aortic valve, a minimally invasive procedure done by catheterization. “Our heart is a kind of ‘pump’ that gets the blood circulating in the body, having for that purpose four valves, that impede the blood from going back. Sometimes, and usually after 70 years old, these valves tighten, resulting in less blood circulating – this is what we call aortic stenosis”, explained Rui Campante Teles. The constriction of those valves impedes the blood from circulating normally through the body, and the individual starts gradually to experience symptoms of cardiac insufficiency, such as: Shortness of breath; Chest discomfort; Dizziness; Difficulty making efforts (that did not happen before); Difficulty sleeping with head flat. Being a disease manifested generally after 70 years old and even more so after 80, “people tend to underestimate the symptoms and attribute them to age”. The interview of Rui Campante Teles on RTP The campaign “ Corações de Amanhã ” (Tomorrow Hearts) is an initiative of the Portuguese Association of Cardiovascular Intervention, a non-profit entity with the purpose of promoting knowledge and understanding of cardiac valve disease and its symptoms, and improving access of patients to treatment. In the scope of the European campaign “Valve for Life”, the initiative counts with the high patronage of the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic. Campaign “Corações de Amanhã”
