A “shocking” proportion of over-50s with common health problems like high blood pressure are having undetected heart attacks, based on a snapshot of a study funded by British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Innovate UK and presented at the British Cardiovascular Society annual conference in Manchester.
The study was carried out by University of Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust researchers.
The discovery was made when researchers looked at early data from volunteers in the ongoing community-based EARLY-HF study in Greater Manchester. When heart scans were offered to the 550 volunteers aged over 50 with cardiometabolic issues, researchers discovered that nearly one in 10 people (nine per cent) had already suffered a heart attack without realising it.
Almost a quarter (23 per cent) had undetected or poorly managed heart or circulatory problems which required medical attention.
To take part in the study, people had to have at least two health issues from a list of seven which affect millions of people in the UK. These included high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, the lung condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the heart rhythm problem atrial fibrillation, obesity and chronic kidney disease.
The most common issues for study participants were pre-existing high blood pressure, which had already been diagnosed in 88 per cent of the study group, and obesity, which affected 70 per cent. Meanwhile 42 per cent of the volunteers had diabetes.
Led by Professor Chris Miller, Consultant Cardiologist at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at The University of Manchester, researchers wanted to understand the rate of hidden illness which had been unrecognised and untreated in this group.
They discovered almost two-thirds (60 per cent) had high blood pressure which was not under proper control or being effectively managed, raising their potential risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Among the study volunteers, 34 per cent were classified as living in an area that is among the top 20 per cent most deprived in England,1 while 28 per cent lived in an area among the 20 per cent least deprived. There were more men than women in the study, with males making up 59 per cent of volunteers.
The researchers suggest the rates of undetected health problems found in Greater Manchester are likely to be reflected in communities across the UK.
Dr Nicholas Black, British Heart Foundation Research Fellow at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and The University of Manchester, helped to run the study and presented the findings at the BCS conference in Manchester. He said:
“My colleagues and I were shocked by just how much unrecognised disease we found. While our study involves people who would be considered at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, finding so many people who had experienced a heart attack and didn’t know it was not something we ever anticipated going into this study.”
