Press release from British medical Journal. Heart 2000; 84:137-141. Delay in calling for help during myocardial infarction: reasons for the delay and subsequent pattern of accessing care

HEART ATTACK SUFFERERS PUT THEIR LIVES AT RISK BY FAILING TO RECOGNIZE SYMPTOMS

Heart attack sufferers are delaying vital treatment because they donÕt recognise their symptoms, shows research published in the journal Heart.

A Glaswegian study of over 300 heart attack survivors between the ages of 25 and 65 showed that only one in four called for help within an hour of the start of symptoms. Four out of 10 delayed longer than four hours before seeking help, and 12 percent delayed over 24 hours. Two thirds of deaths from heart attacks in Glasgow occur outside hospital.

Of the 58 percent of those who had never had any cardiac symptoms before, only one in five recognized their symptoms, most had no idea what they meant or thought it was indigestion. Even a previous heart attack or angina episode did not expedite seeking help. The most frequently given reasons for the delays were Òthinking the symptoms would go away,Ó and Ònot thinking it was serious enough.Ó

Only one in five of the survivors called an ambulance first, with a call to a general practitioner the preferred option, because symptoms were Ònot important enough to call an ambulance.Ó

Although most of the survivors in the study did have chest pain, Òfor many the perception of acute (heart attack) is only of crushing chest pain accompanied by collapse and unconsciousness, which may happen in a minority of casesÉ the onset may be gradual, the symptoms intermittent, and the location of pain variable,Ó say the authors. And Glasgow is not unique they add. ItÕs important to seek help quickly because prompt treatment with an agent to break down clots can almost halve the risk of death from a heart attack and every 30-minute delay can knock off a year of life, they say.
/ENDS

Contact:
Ms. Wilma Leslie, Department of Nutrition, Royal Infirmary Glasgow, Scotland. Tel: 0141 211 4865;  Fax: 0141 211 5443; Email: ws12n@clinmed.gla.ac.uk

Source: British Medical Journal: Specialist Journals