‘DON’T HOLD BACK FROM GETTING HELP’
Heart attack victims ‘avoiding hospital’
THE number of people admitted to hospital following heart attacks has plummeted by 35 per cent as patients avoid treatment due to coronavirus fears.
Now health experts are warning the public they are putting their own lives at risk by shying away from seeking help for serious symptoms.
Keele University has been part of a research team tracking the dramatic changes in hospital admissions since the pandemic began.
They looked at cases across England between mid-february and the end of March, then compared this with the same period in 2019.
The findings revealed 5,000 fewer patients were admitted for heart attacks during the pandemic. The figures suggest many seriously ill people didn’t seek medical attention because they were worried about catching Covid-19 in hospital.
Professor Mamas Mamas, above, a consultant at Royal Stoke University Hospital and a cardiologist at
Keele University, was one of the researchers. He described the figures as ‘dangerously low’.
“The concern is that patients are suffering from suspected heart attacks at home and not coming into hospital for the urgent assessment and treatment they may need,” he added.
“By delaying going to hospital, you may endanger your life.”
The number of patients with the most serious type of heart attack – a complete blockage of an artery supplying part of the heart – dropped by a quarter over the period.
Hospital admissions have since started picking up again, but still remain lower than expected.
The research team, led by the University of Oxford, has also involved several other universities, NHS Digital and Barts Health NHS Trust.
The experts will continue to monitor progress to see if admissions return to pre-pandemic levels.
Andy Maxfield, from Mow Cop, is one of the heart attack victims who did seek help from Royal Stoke.
The 52-year-old was out running when he started to experience shooting pains in his left arm.
He told The Sentinel in May: “My sports watch said that my heart rate had gone up to 165 beats a minute, which really frightened me and I just knew straight away I was having a heart attack.
“I sat down and after a little while, managed to lower it to 100.”
Andy – who said he felt like a ‘gorilla was standing on my chest’ – managed to get back home and alert the emergency services. The call saved his life.
But he was struck by how quiet the hospital seemed when he arrived at the Royal Stoke University Hospital during the coronavirus pandemic.
He added: “It’s worrying to think that people might be too frightened to go to hospital at a time when they need it most. I had a close call and was fortunate. But it’s a horrible thought that someone else might not be, especially if it could be avoided.
“I really urge people not to hold back from getting help as soon as they realise something is wrong.”
Heart attack symptoms include chest pain, dizziness, sweating, shortness of breath, nausea and coughing.