Dr. Renu Garg, Senior Vice President, Cardiovascular Health at Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), spoke at the American Heart Association’s EPI|Lifestyle Scientific Sessions in New Orleans on global progress in heart health. She had the honor of sharing why and how Resolve to Save Lives is working to save 100 million lives from heart disease,
She began with the story of Jagannath from Uttar Pradesh, India. When Jagannath visited his local clinic for back pain, routine universal screening revealed that he had dangerously high blood pressure, and had been living with the silent threat of premature death from a heart attack or stroke.
Without universal screening, Jagannath may not have discovered his condition until it was too late. Thanks to universal screening, Jagannath not only received medication for his back pain but also life-saving treatment for his high blood pressure.
When it comes to combatting hypertension–whose first symptom is usually a heart attack or stroke– measuring the blood pressure of every adult at every visit to a health facility is a simple yet transformative intervention for addressing cardiovascular risk factors early, especially in communities where access to health care is limited. By providing every opportunity to detect high blood pressure during routine visits, health care systems can prevent countless heart attacks and strokes, saving millions of lives worldwide.
In partnership with more than 60 countries, global health organizations, and civil society, RTSL focuses on supporting a simple, scalable strategies for heart health:
- Universal screening for high blood pressure at every health visit and getting high blood pressure under control
- Food policies that help reduce salt consumption, which is strongly tied to high blood pressure
- Food policies that eliminate toxic artificial trans fat from the food supply and replace it with healthier fats
Watch Dr. Garg’s interview with American Heart Association