An interdisciplinary look at the cardiovascular health of Poles - from prevention to treatment

The organizers of the debate on clinical and regulatory challenges aimed at improving cardiovascular disease prevention were the Public Health Foundation, the Polish Society of Civilization Diseases, the Polish Phlebological Society and the Polish Society of Vascular Surgery.

How to improve cardiac statistics?

- In Poland, we have 100,000 heart attacks, 70,000 strokes and 40,000 acute ischemias annually. 43 percent of the patients they affect die," reported Prof. Zbigniew Krasinski, president of the Polish Phlebological Society and president-elect of the Polish Society for Vascular Surgery. -We have no influence on non-modifiable factors, such as age and genetic predisposition, but we can partially reduce hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease, dyslipidemia. There are also factors that we can modify completely, such as smoking, alcohol abuse, obesity or lack of exercise," he added.

Filip Nowak, president of the National Health Service, noted that the jump in interventional medicine is causing patients to forget about rehabilitation, lifestyle changes and prevention.

-Intervention improves the prognosis, but if the patient returns to smoking, the prognosis is worse, experts lamented.

Smoking fashion

- Unfortunately, the fashion for smoking has come again. We are turning on the risk factor for late sequelae early," noted Prof. Zbigniew Krasinski.

According to the Polish Academy of Sciences, the number of cigarette smokers in Poland increased from 25 to 30 percent after the pandemic.
Filip Nowak reported that the cost of treating cardiovascular diseases is growing rapidly. Two years ago it was PLN 10 billion, last year it was PLN 14 billion, and this year we are likely to see another record. The biggest increase in expenses is for od odynotic diseases.
Prof. Filip Szymanski, president of the Polish Society of Civilization Diseases, pointed out that in Sweden, Japan and the Czech Republic, thanks to modern strategies - harm reduction - smokers are only about 5 percent.

Let's not break down an open door

- We sometimes knock down open doors, and we should benefit from the experience of those countries that have been successful in the fight against smoking," Agnieszka Pachciarz pointed out.

- Tobacco heating systems produce far fewer potentially toxic compounds, pointed out Prof. Robert Gil, president of the Polish Society of Cardiology. - However, it would be useful to have long-term studies so that we have evidence that their long-term use does not damage endothelial vessels like classic tobacco smoking, he pointed out.

- The experience of countries using this strategy shows its effects. The Swedes have already published data showing a decrease in cardiovascular incidents and cancer, explained Prof. Filip Szymanski.

He also pointed out the need to educate that e-cigarettes are not subject to any control for the harmful substances they contain. Heat-not-burn devices, on the other hand, eliminate the most harmful aspect of tobacco addiction - the burning of tobacco, because it is in the smoke that most substances hazardous to health are found.

Lifestyle change

Agnieszka Pachciarz spoke about how KOS-heart attack provides patients with post-heart attack medical care and rehabilitation to help them change their lifestyles.

Prof. Robert Gil stressed that education on healthy lifestyles should start as early as kindergarten, and trained educators should be sent to schools.

Experts recalled that alcohol consumption in Poland also increased after the pandemic. - According to recent reports, there is no such thing as a safe dose of alcohol. Any amount of it can carry health risks," warned Prof. Filip Szymanski.

Participants in the debate also emphasized the role of physical activity.