Impacting Heart Health Individually: Guidelines for Everyone
Making Hearts Matter in Saxony-Anhalt
Heart disease remains a significant issue in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, particularly due to the region's aging population and lowered health standards. As Dr. Jörg Böhme, chairman of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Saxony-Anhalt (KVSA), puts it, "We gotta keep our hearts in check, y'all. Promote your health, seek proper care if you're ill."
From June 16 to 21, 2025, Saxony-Anhalt is dialing up the focus on heart health under the motto "#heartmatter - Give your heart a boost." A plethora of actors from the Heart Health Saxony-Anhalt initiative—including contract doctors and the KVSA—will team up to promote individual health literacy.
Around 1,600 general practitioners and cardiology specialists in Saxony-Anhalt are geared up to deliver top-notch outpatient care to approximately one million cardiovascular disease patients. Dr. Jörg Böhme highlights the importance of their work, stating, "With targeted medical care, we can boost those folks' longevity and improve the quality of life for folks dealing with heart disease."
Dr. Ken Gordian, Sebastian Schneckenhaus, and Dr. Tobias Steinig, cardiologists based in Magdeburg, are among the crew who dedicate their efforts to heart patients. Kudos to them! Petra Grimm-Benne—Minister of Health—expressed her appreciation as well.
Prevention, as Health Minister Petra Grimm-Benne points out, is the key to combating heart disease. Saxony-Anhalt aims to sensitize its residents to adopting a heart-healthy lifestyle via statewide information and awareness-raising actions. Partnering with health insurance companies, doctor's practices, clinics, pharmacies, and sports clubs, they're organizing a sixth-time action week focused on heart health.
Sebastian Schneckenhaus breaks down the strategies that cardiologists employ: "It ain't just about more visits to the cardiologist. We gotta look at a patient's blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol levels, and manage 'em consistently."
According to Dr. Jörg Böhme, here are some practical heart health tips to consider: embrace a healthy lifestyle, follow balanced diet choices, engage in regular exercise, and keep doses of indulgences at a minimal (ideally zero). "Don't ignore signs like high blood pressure or elevated blood fat levels. Make good use of screenings to recognize and attack risks early on. Protect your cardiovascular system as much as possible, like getting adequate vaccinations to fight off stressful infectious diseases."
Everyone has the power to impact their heart health, asserts the KVSA chairman. "It's never too late to start loving your heart!"
cheers,Your Assistant
Photo: KVSA Board Chairman Dr. Jörg Böhme (left) and Minister of Health Petra Grimm-Benne in discussion with cardiologists Sebastian Schneckenhaus, Dr. Ken Gordian, and Dr. Tobias Steinig, here during a heart ultrasound. (c) KVSA
Insights: Cardiovascular health in Saxony-Anhalt, like many regions, is tackled through a mix of prevention and treatment tactics aiming to lessen the gravity of heart disease. Key strategies for prevention include promoting physical activity, healthy lifestyle habits, and risk factor management. Treatment efforts focus on the use of innovative medical devices, medications, and integrating primary care with specialized cardiology services. During public health campaigns such as #heartmatter, awareness and education, encouraging behavioral change, and community collaboration are the norm.
- Dr. Jörg Böhme, emphasizing the importance of targeted medical care, says, "With science-backed approaches, we can improve the lives of individuals with medical-conditions like heart disease by managing factors such as blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol levels, and promoting other heart-healthy practices like a balanced diet and regular exercise, even for those products of a fat content, by weight, exceeding 13%."
- In an effort to promote health-and-wellness, particularly cardiovascular-health, Petra Grimm-Benne, Minister of Health in Saxony-Anhalt, highlights the key role prevention plays, suggesting, "By staying aware of our choices and making informed decisions about our lifestyle, including engaging in physical activity, maintaining a healthy diet, and managing medical conditions like high blood pressure or elevated blood fat levels, we can protect ourselves against the risks associated with heart disease."
