The EU Structural Heart Disease (SHD) Coalition welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to develop a comprehensive EU Cardiovascular Health (CVH) Plan, inspired by Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. This represents a historic opportunity to ensure cardiovascular health becomes a true EU priority.
To be effective, the CVH Plan must address Structural Heart Disease (SHD) – a degenerative and life-threatening subgroup of cardiovascular diseases. SHD cannot be prevented through lifestyle changes, but it can be detected early and treated effectively. More than 14 million people in Europe are currently living with SHD, a number expected to rise to 20 million by 2040 due to ageing demographics. Without treatment, up to 75% of people with severe SHD die within three years.
Despite this, SHD remains widely underdiagnosed, particularly in women and older adults. Seven in eight Europeans are unaware of the condition. Yet, once diagnosed, treatment options can restore independence, extend life, and improve quality of life.
In its response to the consultation, the SHD Coalition highlights key recommendations:
- EU-wide early detection guidelines: routine heart checks, such as stethoscope exams and echocardiograms for citizens aged 65+, supported by digital tools like AI-powered auscultation.
- Integration of SHD detection into national cardiovascular protocols: leveraging primary care, pharmacists, mobile clinics, and embedding SHD checks into existing screening programmes.
- Gender-sensitive measures: targeted programmes to address late or missed diagnoses in women, with dedicated funding for women’s cardiovascular research and clinical trial inclusion.
- Sustainable EU and national funding: to build screening and referral infrastructure, create EU-wide registries, and support national SHD detection programmes, with contributions from EU4Health, the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI), and Cohesion Funds.
- Support for innovation: public-private partnerships to accelerate the adoption of digital and AI diagnostic tools, ensuring Europe leads in responsible health innovation.
Evidence from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK demonstrates that best practices, such as GP invitations for age-based checks, validated symptom questionnaires, and involvement of pharmacists and community actors, can provide a model for SHD detection across Europe.
By integrating SHD into the priorities of the EU CVH Plan, the European Commission has the chance to save lives, reduce inequalities, and ensure healthy and active ageing for millions of Europeans.
The full SHD Coalition input to the EU CVH Plan consultation can be found here: LINK