Campaign targets men in bid to raise heart attack awareness

A CAMPAIGN has been launched to reduce the number of men dying from a heart attack because they delay calling 999 for emergency treatment.

Over 80% of people under the age of 65 who die prematurely from a heart attack are men — the equivalent to five men dying prematurely every week.

The Irish Heart Foundation wants to change men’s behaviour and their message is simple — don’t die of embarrassment, pick up the phone and dial 999 immediately.

The foundation’s medical director, Dr Angie Brown, said survival rates could be improved by as much as 50% if patients were treated within an hour of the onset of symptoms.

“It’s shocking to think that almost six out of 10 people know heart attack symptoms but, when it comes to getting help, only half of these will arrive by ambulance,” she said.

Radio and television adverts for the campaign will feature a voiceover by Westlife’s Nicky Byrne, whose father, Nikki Byrne, was aged 60 when he died from a heart attack in 2009. “He wasn’t feeling well but, like many men, he didn’t want to cause a fuss,” said Mr Byrne.

“He had a pain in his lower stomach the day before he passed away and we now know he was having a heart attack.”

Heart attack symptoms can be diverse, but not everyone knows that it can include chest pain, pain in the neck, arm, back or jaw, breathlessness, sweating, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.

* www.irishheart.ie.