Brussels, 28 May — The EU Structural Heart Disease (SHD) Coalition welcomes the strong political support of its allies in the European Parliament, as two leading Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), Dr. Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis (S&D, Lithuania) and Romana Jerković (S&D, Croatia), have addressed an open letter to Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, calling for the urgent integration of Structural Heart Disease into the forthcoming EU Cardiovascular Health (CVH) Plan.
This initiative follows the recent Council Conclusions on improving cardiovascular health, led by the Hungarian Presidency, which for the first time formally recognize SHD as a significant contributor to the cardiovascular disease burden in the EU.
In their letter, the MEPs commend the European Commission’s commitment to addressing cardiovascular health and stress the importance of concrete and timely action to tackle SHD—a degenerative yet treatable condition that remains critically underdiagnosed and misunderstood across Europe.
With more than 20 million Europeans projected to be affected by SHD by 2040, and 75% of untreated severe SHD patients dying within three years, the MEPs emphasise that the EU CVH Plan must include:
- An EU-wide framework for early detection and referral, particularly targeting populations aged 65+.
- Measures to address sex-based disparities in diagnosis and treatment.
- Sustainable investment and funding to support national implementation, public awareness, and innovation.
The MEPs underline that SHD disproportionately impacts women due to diagnostic delays and underrepresentation in research. They stress the need for sex-sensitive screening protocols and enhanced medical education on SHD symptoms and referral pathways.
“This is a unique opportunity for the European Commission to positively impact SHD patients by saving lives, reducing health inequalities, and lessening the burden on healthcare systems,” the letter states.
The EU SHD Coalition fully supports this call to action and stands ready to engage with the Commission to ensure that Structural Heart Disease receives the urgent attention it requires as part of a robust and inclusive EU Cardiovascular Health Plan.
Read the full letter here: link