July 25, 2012
Heart problems in the elderly being
overlooked
Our researchers in Newcastle have uncovered
that around one in four very elderly people may have heart problems
which could be easily treated, but are going
undiagnosed.
The team of researchers from Newcastle
University, led by BHF Professor
Bernard Keavney, recently carried out
376 heart scans called echocardiograms on
87- 89 year olds in their homes.
The results revealed that around a
quarter had undiagnosed heart problems and are
missing out on treatments, such as ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers, which could improve their
symptoms and their quality of life.
The most common undiagnosed heart
problem they found was a weakness of the heart’s
ability to pump. Because less oxygen rich blood can be pumped
around their body, people with this condition are often
breathless and can develop heart failure. These symptoms can be
managed with medications - but because these
elderly patients are not being diagnosed, they cannot benefit from
these treatments.
It’s important that this vulnerable group of people doesn’t get overlooked
“This study suggests
that there are probably
many more very elderly
people in the community with heart problems than we previously
thought. And many have symptoms like breathlessness that
limits their daily activities. Despite this, their
heart condition is often
not recognised.”
“It’s important that this
vulnerable group of people doesn’t get overlooked
so that they are properly assessed and receive the
best treatments to improve their quality of life.”
Our Mending Broken
Hearts Appeal funds pioneering research into stem cell
therapies and other new ways to repair the heart. We aim to
literally ‘mend broken hearts’ by supporting
ground-breaking research to cure heart failure.
Donate today to help our life-saving
work.
The findings were published in the medical
journal Heart.