Half of heart attack patients delay seeking medical help
British Heart Foundation says more research is needed to improve treatment and diagnosis of heart attacks.
Half of people suffering a heart attack may be putting their life and future recovery in danger by delaying seeking medical help for their symptoms for more than an hour.
That is saccording to a new survey of British Heart Foundation supporters.
The survey of heart attack survivors showed that over 80% initially failed to realise that they may be having a heart attack, with more than one in three mistaking their symptoms for indigestion.
Worryingly, nearly two thirds of those polled still didn’t realise that they might be having a heart attack at the point they finally sought medical help for their symptoms.
Someone suffers a heart attack approximately every three minutes in the UK and despite the common perception that a heart attack is something that happens quickly with someone clutching their chest and keeling over, the survey results showed that more than 90% of those surveyed remained conscious throughout.
The heart charity is warning that as a nation we’re underestimating the life-threatening consequences of a heart attack, despite coronary heart disease – the main cause of heart attacks – remaining Scotland’s single biggest killer.
The BHF is urging people to be more aware of the signs of a heart attack and says far more research is needed to improve ways of preventing, diagnosing and treating heart attacks.
Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive at the British Heart Foundation, said: “It’s extremely alarming that the majority of people who suffer heart attacks mistake their symptoms for something less serious and delay getting medical help.
"Every second counts when someone has a heart attack. The sooner people recognise their symptoms and call 999, the better their chance of recovery.
“Research advances mean seven out of ten people now survive a heart attack.
"But most heart attacks occur without warning and we have no way of predicting when they will strike. We need to accelerate research into improving our understanding of the furring of the arteries that causes heart attacks and develop better ways of preventing them.
"Also, minor heart attacks which are often a prelude to a much more serious one, can be difficult to diagnose. We therefore need more effective ways of diagnosing them so people at risk get the life-saving treatment they need.”
The BHF currently funds £29 million of research in to finding new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat heart attacks. The charity has recently funded a project at Kings College London investigating a more effective way of diagnosing heart attacks.
Professor Mike Marber and the team at Kings are studying another protein that leaks from the heart after damage called cardiac myosin binding protein C.
The team is now investigating if measuring MyC is a quicker and more effective way of diagnosing a heart attack.
Professor Marber said: "It is essential to know whether someone with chest pain has suffered damage to their heart.
"We’re investigating whether levels of MyC in the blood provide a quicker and more reliable indication of a heart attack than troponin.
"MyC may also be less likely to be detected because of chronic disease, preventing a false diagnosis of a heart attack.
"The research could lead to a better blood test for heart attack so people can receive the right treatment, more quickly, improving their chances of recovery.”
For more information about heart attacks or support the charity’s life-saving research visit: www.bhf.org.uk/doubtkills