The Covid-19 pandemic underscores the importance of a healthy lifestyle and prevention programs for cardiovascular diseases. This was what leading Swiss heart specialists said in St. Moritz on Saturday. On the occasion of World Heart Day, Santasana St. Moritz, the Center for Rehabilitation and Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases, had invited to a panel. The new partners Kulm Hotel St. Moritz and Hotel Kronenhof Pontresina were also presented.
The high number of illnesses with severe cases or even deaths due to Covid-19 has shown how quickly a pandemic can also push the health systems of highly developed, wealthy countries to the limits of their resilience. The pandemic should therefore be a wake-up call for a healthy lifestyle and the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, said Viktor Fässler, founder of Santasana St. Moritz, on World Heart Day in St. Moritz.
Cardiologist PD Dr. med. Christian Schmied explained that Covid-19 is a vascular disease and not just a lung disease. It leads to inflammation in the blood vessels, which as a result constrict and damage organs. Similar to cardiovascular diseases, overweight, high blood pressure or diabetes are also risk factors for Covid-19, which can lead to a severe course of the disease.
The good news is that cardiovascular diseases can be prevented with simple means. This included a balanced diet, regular sports activities and abstinence from smoking.
The rehabilitation and prevention programs that Santasana St. Moritz offers were also based on people paying more attention to their bodies and their health, said the medical director of Santasana St. Moritz. Anyone who takes these preventive measures also has a higher chance of surviving Covid-19 without a severe course of illness. In western countries in particular, many people expect too much stress and too much strain due to too few balancing activities.
The idea of prevention is also becoming increasingly important in emerging countries, added Prof. Dr. med. Paul R. Vogt. The Director of Heart Surgery at Zurich University Hospital presented the work of the “Eurasia Heart” foundation, which he initiated, which is committed to improving medical care in developing and emerging countries. Following the principle of “helping people to help themselves”, the doctors and nurses of the “Eurasia Heart Foundation” promote heart medicine, anesthesia, intensive care and prevention in particular.
Contact Santasana St. Moritz
PD Dr. Christian Schmied, Medical Director
+41 76 344 83 08 | christian.schmied@usz.ch
Christoph Schlatter, managing director
+41 76 352 14 83 | christoph.schlatter@santasana.swiss
About Santasana St. Moritz
Santasana St. Moritz is a center for outpatient rehabilitation and prevention of cardiovascular diseases and a leading provider of patient services related to this specialty. Together with partners from medicine and tourism, Santasana offers its guests tailor-made programs for rehabilitation after acute treatments and to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Santasana St. Moritz's strategic partners include University Hospital Zurich, Klinik Gut St. Moritz and the Heilbad St. Moritz Medical Center. Hotel partners are Kulm Hotel*****, St. Moritz, Hotel Kronenhof*****, Pontresina, Hotel Reine Victoria****, St. Moritz, and Hotel Laudinella***, St. Moritz. Christian Gartmann is Santasana St. Moritz's media relations officer.