Fifth Annual Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day Focuses on Health Disparities in Black Americans

February 22, 2021—More than 90 national organizations and thousands of patient advocates are recognizing the fifth anniversary of Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day held annually on February 22, announced the Alliance for Aging Research. Officially acknowledged as an awareness day by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the alliance established the event in 2017 to spotlight the importance of detecting and treating heart valve disease (HVD).

The 2021 HVD Awareness Day campaign was made possible with support from Edwards Lifesciences Foundation and Abbott, noted the alliance’s announcement.

According to the Alliance for Aging Research, many 2021 HVD Awareness Day efforts focus on highlighting the disparities in HVD diagnosis and treatment faced by Black American adults, who experience a higher prevalence of HVD risk factors at earlier ages than white patients. For example, more than 40% of non-Hispanic Black men and women have high blood pressure, which develops earlier in life and is usually more severe in these groups. Chronic high blood pressure increases the likelihood of heart failure, a primary risk factor for HVD. Black Americans develop heart failure before the age of 50 at 20 times the rate of white patients.

“As many as 11 million Americans have HVD, yet general awareness of the disease is low,” commented Lindsay Clarke in the alliance’s announcement. Ms. Clarke is Vice President of Health Education and Advocacy at the Alliance for Aging Research. “It is important for all of us to know that higher risk is tied to age, as well as social determinants of health, including race, ethnicity, income, and geographic location.”

Ms. Clarke continued, “Our priority is to reach and educate as many people as possible about risks and symptoms, including raising awareness of the diagnosis and treatment disparities that communities of color face. Thankfully, we have more HVD Awareness Day partners than ever before, enabling us to reach more people, and ultimately address these disparities and help save more lives.”

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 HVD Awareness Day partners have focused their educational and awareness efforts online, engaging with patients and advocates across the world through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other media.

The Alliance for Aging Research is hosting several virtual events featuring HVD patients, world-renowned experts, and partners. In addition to the official Valve Disease Day anniversary celebration events, a wide range of regional activities led by Valve Disease Day partners (including social media, newsletters, blogs, media interviews, health fairs, lectures, and more) will take place across the nation. More information is available online at www.valvediseaseday.org and www.valvediseaseday.org/events.

The official HVD Awareness Day Fifth Anniversary Celebration will be held virtually from 1:00 to 2:30 pm ET on February 22. The event’s presenter will be David Andelman, CNN columnist, commentator, author, and valve disease survivor.

Awards, recipients, and presenters include the following:

• Heart Valve Visionary Award
  • Recipient: Donnette Smith, patient and President of the Board, Heart Valve Voice US
  • Presenter: Michael A. Mussallem, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Edwards Lifesciences
• Heart Health Equity Champion Award
  • Recipient: Icilma Fergus, MD, FACC, Director of Cardiovascular Disparities, Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai
  • Presenter: Cassandra McCullough, MBA, Chief Executive Officer, Association of Black Cardiologists
• Partner with Heart Award
  • Recipient: Andrea Baer, MS, BCPA, The Mended Hearts, Inc.
  • Presenter: Lindsay Clarke, JD, Vice President of Health Education & Advocacy, Alliance for Aging Research
• Heart Valve Innovation Awareness Award
  • Recipient: Vinod H. Thourani, MD, Marcus Chairman of Cardiovascular Surgery, Piedmont Heart Institute in Atlanta, Georgia
  • Presenter: Neil Moat, MB BS, MS, FRCS, Divisional Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer Structural Heart, Abbott

Additionally, an official #ValveDiseaseDay Twitter chat will be conducted on February 22 from 3:00 to 4:00 pm ET. The Twitter chat will be cohosted by the Alliance for Aging Research, the Association of Black Cardiologists, and BlackDoctor.org. The chat will focus on important questions about HVD and the disparities Black Americans experience related to HVD care and treatment. Participants will include the Valve Disease Day partners from across the nation, HVD patients, advocates, experts, medical providers, and more.

On February 16, a Facebook Live Conversation was held with Gary Gibbons, MD, Director of the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and Frank Evans, PhD, Program Director in NHLBI’s Heart Development and Structural Diseases Branch. Drs. Gibbons and Evans discussed HVD, the importance of patient-centered research, and possible barriers to care.

Drs. Gibbons and Evans were presented with the HVD Awareness Day Patient-Centered HVD Research Award on behalf of NHLBI. This event was cohosted by the Alliance and the American Heart Association. A recording of the interview is available on the Valve Disease Day Facebook page.