Tackling the burden of structural heart disease:

A European coalition

Welcome to the Structural Heart Disease Coalition website

Structural heart diseases are structural abnormalities of the heart leading to impaired functioning that can affect the heart’s valves, walls, muscles, and blood vessels. They are a form of cardiovascular disease and currently affect around 14 million people in Europe, creating a significant burden for the people suffering from the disease as well as the wider economy and society.

The Structural Heart Disease Coalition (SHD Coalition) is a European network that brings together experts including key opinion leaders, politicians, and patients to work together to ensure that policy on SHD is prioritised.

The initial goal of the SHD Coalition is to work towards a European Joint Action on Structural Heart Disease with an emphasis on early diagnosis and equal access to care, and treatment for people of all ages. This will require political prioritisation at the EU level as well as strong national support.

Launched in March 2021, this website showcases the various actions undertaken by the Coalition at both EU level and in countries and provides information about SHD and its impact.

Did you know?

One of the main types of SHD has a worse prognosis than some metastatic cancers. If not treated properly, 1 out of 2 diagnosed patients will die after 2 years. After 3 years, this increases to 2 out of 3 patients

The difference between having structural heart disease and being disease-free lies in being able to live a fully independent life – and not being able to make it up a flight of stairs

The 2019 European Heart Health Survey revealed that there is a significant lack of awareness about structural heart diseases, with only 6% of respondents able to describe the condition

40 % of individuals in the EU believe that age discrimination is widespread in their country; In structural heart disease this translates into lack of access to diagnosis, treatment and care. For example: Only 28% of 65+ people in Europe have their heart checked at every GP visit

EU SHD Coalition Event at the French National Assembly, October 18th 2023 : Exploring Early Detection of Structural Heart Diseases for Healthy Aging

novembre 16, 2023

On October 18th, the EU Structural Heart Disease Coalition was at the French National Assembly, at the invitation of Deputy Paul Christophe, to discuss the early detection of structural heart diseases and their impact on healthy aging. In France, the...

Start of a legislative process on early detection of CVDs and SHDs in Germany

octobre 23, 2023

For a considerable time period in German politics, the significance of early detection of cardiovascular diseases and, particularly, structural heart diseases remained rather marginal. However, at present, this issue is progressively gaining...

Renewed calls for stethoscope checks from UK Parliamentarians at HVD awareness week event

octobre 9, 2023

One of the key organizations focusing on cardiovascular diseases in the UK, Heart Valve Voice, visited Westminster on September 12th in honour of the Heart Valve Disease Awareness week. The event focused on raising awareness of heart valve disease...