LEADING heart charity Hearts4heart is launching its 'SLOW Symptoms' campaign during Heart Valve Disease Awareness Week (16-22 Feb 2026) in an effort to change Australia's dangerously slow response to heart valve disease.
Affecting an estimated 850,000 Australians, advocates now warn heart valve disease is "the next cardiac epidemic", driven by an ageing population and persistently low awareness.
Inspired by the FAST campaign for stroke, the SLOW Symptoms campaign includes a simple and memorable tool developed by UK charity Heart Valve Voice:
* Shortness of breath
* Lightheadedness on exertion
* Feeling Older than your years
* Weary or unusually fatigued.
Hearts4heart CEO and Founder Tanya Hall said the SLOW campaign was a critical step in closing Australia's awareness gap.
"The SLOW campaign gives people the language to recognise symptoms, start a conversation with their GP and ask for a stethoscope check," Hall said.
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