One of the most popular music bands in Poland has composed a song talking about atrial fibrillation. The PECTUS group prepared the lyrics and an unconventional music video to draw Poles' attention to the most common heart arrhythmia and one of the main causes of stroke. The premiere of the clip will take place on 29 September on the occasion of World Heart Day 2020. The project is realised as part of the nationwide social campaign "STOP STrokes", under the honorary patronage of the Polish Cardiac Society.
Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke by as much as five times compared to a group of people without atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation-related strokes account for 15-20% of all strokes and are characterised by a particularly severe course and lead to severe disability, and half of AF-related stroke patients die in the first year after the stroke.
"Wheeling, flickering...." - how to recognise atrial fibrillation?
"Wheezing, fibrillation" these words are repeated by the group PECTUS in the chorus of their latest video to make sure as many people as possible remember what the symptoms of atrial fibrillation can be. These include a fast and irregular heartbeat, palpitations, a feeling of discomfort or pain in the chest, dizziness and fainting, excessive sweating and nausea, shortness of breath, and a feeling of fatigue or reduced physical performance. Their appearance is a signal that a doctor should be contacted immediately.
The diagnosis of atrial fibrillation is particularly important in people who are already over 65 years of age and in those who have additional diseases such as heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, or who have already had a stroke or a transient ischaemic episode. People who have atherosclerosis, not only of the cerebral vessels, but also of the coronary vessels in the heart, or atherosclerosis of the arteries of the lower limbs, which makes walking difficult, also have a higher risk.
"Study your pulse and feel the backlash". - Stroke can be prevented
It could be said that the decision to compose this unconventional piece was 'taken with the heart'. We believe in the principle that music should have a message, change the world and influence people. We would very much like our new video to attract the attention of the widest possible audience and provoke people to think about issues important to our health and that of our loved ones. - says Tomasz Szczepanik, vocalist and leader of the band PECTUS. - During the development of the piece, we learned, among other things, that simple A pulse test that we can carry out ourselves can help detect heart arrhythmia. We decided to sing 'test your pulse and feel the backlash', and also point out in the video that there is a simple way we can check for our heart rhythm ourselves. We hope that through this song, many people will hear that controlling atrial fibrillation can save lives.
We invite you to watch the video clip "Wheeling, fibrillation...", from which you can learn, among other things, what the symptoms of atrial fibrillation are and that you can easily check for the correct rhythm of your heart yourself.
Stop Stroke" campaign was inaugurated in 2012. Its aim is to build public awareness of stroke prevention and to reduce its medical and social consequences. Each year, as part of the campaign, various educational activities are carried out in the areas of risk factors, prevention and recognition of stroke symptoms and effective intervention in the event of stroke. The campaign is initiated by Boehringer Ingelheim and partnered by the Brain Stroke Foundation and the Stroke Association - Support counts! The honorary patron of the campaign is the Polish Cardiac Society. For more information, visit www.stopudarom.pl