Philips highlights importance of early detection of heart disease

Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology, is putting the spotlight on early detection and prevention of heart disease – a leading cause of death globally and a clinically silent disease – with the launch of the Philips Heart Health Quiz ahead of World Heart Day 2019 (29 September).

Philips launches heart health quiz to increase individual awareness of risk factors and early symptoms, to encourage early detection of heart disease and preventive care.

This follows findings from Philips’ Annual Future Health Index 2019 that unveiled how healthcare practitioners are recommending the use of digital health technology to track health data, just as patients are seeking greater access to data for better empowerment of their health.

"We developed the quiz to help the public recognize risk factors and early symptoms of heart disease based on global as well as Asia specific research and insights.  This is part of our efforts to enable consumers to be more aware of individual heart health and lifestyle habits that impact it, and to encourage early detection of heart disease," said Ivy Lai, Country Manager, Philips Singapore.

The Future Health Index 2019 report indicated that Singaporean healthcare professionals advise their patients to track key indicators of health such as their blood pressure (61%), physical activity (57%) and weight (53%) via digital health technology or mobile health apps. However, Singaporeans fall below the 15-country average (47%) in contacting healthcare professionals and taking action based on the health-related data they have collected (34%).

"This is where we see a clear opportunity for consumers to be empowered with self-monitoring and conscious self-care, and to share the data proactively with their healthcare practitioners to enable heart disease prevention and early stage screening for improved heart health," she added.

Vernon Kang, Singapore Heart Foundation CEO, shared, "Cardiovascular disease is a key health concern in Singapore and we are encouraged by Philips’ efforts to develop a quiz that helps to improve the understanding of heart disease, especially around the individual risk factors and early symptoms.

"We would like the public to be more conscious of their heart health, especially of their preventable risk factors, and make the necessary healthier lifestyle changes."

Globally, ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the top cause of death.  In Singapore, 17 people die from cardiovascular disease every day, accounting for 29 percent of all deaths in 2018. However, one out of two Singaporeans perceive having little or no personal risk of getting heart disease, while close to half rated their general knowledge of heart disease as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’, which suggests a false sense of safety created by this awareness gap.

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