Professor Stephen Nicholls joined Chief Executive Andrew Stripp in conversation at our Employee Forum on Tuesday 22 March. Professor Nicholls is the Director of Monash Heart and Professor of Cardiology at Monash University. He had some important and timely things to say about heart health.
“The tragic events of these last few weeks have reinforced what we [as a profession] deal with on a daily basis. Heart disease is real, it’s common, and it’s the leading cause of death in this country.”
“One Australian dies ever twelve minutes due to heart disease. We have over 50,000 heart attacks a year in this country. We spend more money on heart disease treatment than any other area of health.”
Professor Nicholls was quick to dispel some common myths about heart disease.
“It doesn’t distinguish. We’ve heard about young and older people; we’ve heard about men and women.”
“I think the news of Senator Kitching’s death is a particular wake up call to this entire country that heart disease is a big problem for women. It’s not just something that men get—women are more likely to die from heart disease than breast cancer.”
Professor Nicholls also highlighted how important it is to recognise symptoms.
“Most patients with heart attacks present with chest pain. While a lot of chest pain is classic, not all patients and their symptoms read the textbook. I can see chest pain that presents everywhere from your chin to your navel.”
“Recognising the symptoms and getting to hospital quickly is a priority, because getting to hospital quickly saves lives.”
When it comes to heart disease, prevention is the most important thing, Professor Nicholls said.
“Watching what you eat, how much you exercise, weight loss and stopping smoking—these are things you can do without going anywhere near a doctor while still decreasing your risk.”
“The second thing I would say is that all adults in this country should know their numbers. They should know what their cholesterol is, they should know what their blood pressure is.”
Professor Nicholls encouraged anyone concerned about their heart health to visit their doctor.
You can watch the full employee forum here.
Approved by Dr Anand Ponniraivan