In this study, researchers looked at records of all 446,744 NHS hospitals in England between 2006 and 2010 that recorded heart attacks, as well as the hospital history of all 135,950 heart attack deaths. Records included whether patients who died of a heart attack had been admitted to hospital in the past four weeks and, if so, whether signs of a heart attack were recorded as the main reason for admission (primary diagnosis), in addition to the main reason (secondary diagnosis), or not recorded at all . Of the 135,950 patients who died of a heart attack, about half died without a hospital admission in the previous four weeks, and about half died within four weeks of being hospitalized. 21,677 (16 percent, or one in six) of the patients who died of a heart attack had been hospitalized during the previous four weeks, but heart attack symptoms were not reported in their hospital records. READ MORE: 95% of Heart Attack Survivors Report Two Symptoms 1 Month Before Event The authors said some symptoms, such as fainting, shortness of breath and chest pain, were evident up to a month before death in some of these patients, but doctors may not have been alert to the possibility that these were signaling an impending fatal heart attack, possibly because there was no apparent damage to the heart at the time. These results suggest that potential signs of an impending fatal heart attack may have been missed. The researchers also found that of all patients admitted with a heart attack, those whose heart attack was listed as secondary to the primary condition were two to three times more likely to die than patients whose records listed the heart attack as the primary condition. Lead author Doctor Perviz Asaria, from the School of Public Health at Imperial, said at the time: “Doctors are very good at treating heart attacks when they are the main cause of admission, but we don’t do very well when we treat secondary heart attacks or picking up subtle signs that may indicate death from a heart attack in the near future. DON’T MISS ‘Many people’ infected with Omicron after booster shot – signs [INSIGHT]Acholic stools “early” sign of liver disease [ADVICE]Blood Clots: Four Types of Drinks to Avoid[TIPS[TIPS[ΣΥΜΒΟΥΛΕΣ[TIPS “Unfortunately, in the four weeks after a hospital stay, nearly as many heart attack deaths occur in people for whom a heart attack is not listed as the primary cause as occur after a heart attack admission.” The authors said at the time of publication that more detailed research needs to be done to identify the reasons for these results so that more heart attack deaths can be prevented. Co-author Professor Majid Ezzati, also from Imperial’s School of Public Health, said at the time: ‘We cannot yet say why these signs are being missed, so more detailed research needs to be carried out to make recommendations for change. This may include updated guidelines for healthcare professionals, changes in clinical culture, or giving doctors more time to examine patients and review their past records. “What we are asking now is, if symptoms are being missed where they could have been discovered using the available information, how should care now be organized and what changes should be made to prevent unnecessary deaths.” READ MORE: Regular tea consumption appears to reduce heart disease risk by 20% – study These are:
Eat a healthy, balanced diet Do not smoke Try to keep your blood pressure at a healthy level.
Eating healthy means avoiding foods that contain high levels of saturated fat, as they raise the levels of LDL cholesterol in your blood, the NHS warns. LDL cholesterol is a precursor to heart disease. Foods high in saturated fat include:
Pies Fried foods Sausages and fatty cuts of meat Butter Ghee (a type of butter often used in Indian cooking) Lard Cream Hard cheese Cakes and cookies Foods containing coconut oil or palm oil.
