New research released by Blackrock Health as part of its new Show Your Heart Some Love campaign has revealed that an alarming 18% of people who experience symptoms that could signal a potential heart issue do not take any action to address or investigate the cause of the symptoms.
Almost a quarter (24% ) of those who took no action when they experienced heart-related symptoms claim they didn’t act because they thought it was a general symptom of getting older and a further one in five (20% ) thought that the issue would improve in time.
The campaign aims to build public awareness of the signs and symptoms that people of all ages should be looking out for to ensure that cardiac issues are diagnosed as early as possible. This comes as Blackrock Health launches its Acute Cardiac Assessment service across its Blackrock, Galway and Hermitage clinics. The research was conducted among a nationally representative sample of 1,010 members of the general public aged 18 and over.
Further underlining the need for greater awareness of heart condition symptoms, the research showed that 13% of people were unaware that the symptoms they experienced were key warning signals of a heart condition, or a heart attack. Of those who did experience a symptom like shortness of breath, chest pain, irregular heartbeat or dizziness, only half (53% ) of respondents followed up on this by speaking with their doctor.
More and more people are now using wearable technology to monitor their health. The research study shows that four in 10 people claim they currently use a wearable device to measure the performance of their heart and 38% of those who wear them claim that the device has given them a result related to their heart health which led them to seek medical advice from a healthcare professional.
Blackrock Health is proud to champion the work of the female cardiologists working across all clinics in the group and highlight the importance of women being more aware of their own potential heart risks. Women are more likely than men to put off consulting their doctor about a potential heart issue (21% of women who experienced symptoms took no action ) and 14% claim that they took no action because they didn’t recognise that what they were experiencing could be a symptom of a cardiac condition (compared with 11% in males ).
The Blackrock Health Acute Cardiac Assessment service provides rapid access to a team of cardiology specialists for cardiac patient care. A comprehensive range of services is available, from initial assessment and diagnosis to treatment for urgent cardiac symptoms. Anyone experiencing symptoms including chest pain, palpitations (or irregular heart rhythm ), or shortness of breath (suspected cardiac-related ) can self-refer to the service for assessment.
