Doc: Don’t overlook symptoms amid high repeat-attack, death rates

O ne in six of the 556 heart attacks recorded at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in 2022 was not the patient’s first, figures presented by the Heart and Stroke Foundation have revealed. One in three patients did not leave the hospital alive. Fitness trainer and general practitioner Dr Vicky Estwick gave the figures in a keynote speech at the foundation’s Annual World Heart Day luncheon at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, held under this year’s theme, Using heart for action . “The numbers are not pretty,” Dr Estwick said. “This is our own data from 2022. There were 556 heart attacks recorded at the hospital in 2022. Out of those 556, 14 per cent, so about one in six persons, it was not their first time having a heart attack. One out of every three did not leave QEH alive, and that is why the Heart and Stroke Foundation exists.

” The data was the foundation’s own, she stressed, adding that the organisation returns to the subject every year, even when people are tired of hearing it. “The numbers are staggering, and something needs to be done,” she said. “We need to have some action. ” Dr Estwick’s speech focused on recognising the signs of heart disease, steps individuals can take to protect their heart health, and the role of policymakers and organisations in addressing the issue. She stressed that tackling the problem requires collective action, not placing responsibility solely on individuals. Too many warning signs go unnoticed because people explain them away as tiredness or stress, she said. “Females and persons with diabetes and other conditions that may affect how your nerves work actually do not get the typical chest pain. “Sometimes it shows up as heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, just feeling a little… lightheaded. I really love to blame things on air,” she…