Heart campaign warns against 999 delay
There are more than a million survivors of heart attacks alive today, according to British Heart Foundation (BHF) statistics. But they are the lucky ones say the BHF, because 30% of heart attack victims die before they even reach hospital.
Back from the dead: how knowledge saved my life
"Many of those who have died will have had some form of warning which they may not have realised was the beginnings of a heart attack," said the BHF's Dr Mike Knapton. "The pain can be subtle and not always seem immediately serious, so it can be easy to dismiss or ignore. But it could be immediately life-threatening, so taking early action by calling 999 is crucial to your survival chances."
The most common symptoms of a heart attack are:
- central chest pain
- the pain spreading to the arms, neck or jaw
- feeling sick or sweaty as well as having chest pain
- feeling short of breath as well as having chest pain.
- There are also less common symptoms, such as light-headedness, a pain that feels like bad indigestion, and a dull ache or 'heavy' feeling in the chest.
A podcast that alerts people to the warning signs of heart disease, can be downloaded from the BHF website. The audio clip is part of their ongoing 'Doubt Kills' campaign. It features interviews with two heart attack survivors as well as explaining the symptoms of a heart attack.
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