World Heart Federation member the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has today released the results of a survey of 500 heart attack survivors. This found that 80% did not recognize that they were having a heart attack, with around 35% putting their symptoms down to indigestion.
Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive, British Heart Foundation:
“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 recognize 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.”
Johanna Ralston, CEO, World Heart Federation:
“We welcome this research carried out by our member BHF and the spotlight it puts on the importance of understanding and reacting quickly to the symptoms of a heart attack. Increasing awareness of how we can all live healthy lives to help reduce our risk of, and improve our chances of surviving, a heart attack are vital if we are to achieve our aim of reducing premature mortality caused by cardiovascular disease by 25% by 2025.”
Read coverage of the BHF research in the Daily Telegraph.
