Nearly half of heart attack survivors still smoke

Nearly half of heart attack survivors in Ireland who smoked at the time of heart attack are still smoking up to two years later, a national study has found.

The numbers persisting with behaviours that drastically increase their risk of another heart attack are alarmingly high: Two in five are obese up to two years later, and nearly one third (31%) never or rarely undertake regular activity long enough to work up a sweat.

Of those who are obese, more than 30% were never told that they are overweight by a medical professional. Nearly half (44%) didn’t get the flu vaccine last year, despite flu being a trigger for heart attacks.

Bill McEvoy, professor of preventive cardiology, NUI Galway, agreed the findings show that some patients are reckless about their health.

“Some are, to be frank,” he said.

It is certainly concerning that many aren’t succeeding in minimising the risk factors which contributed to the heart attack in the first place.

He said survival of a heart attack “is a second chance at life, but only if risk factors are managed”.

Up to 50% of heart attack patients do not survive. The iAspire study involved 721 patients interviewed six to 24 months post-heart attack at nine hospital sites across Ireland.

Prof McEvoy, who is medical and research director of the National Institute for Prevention and Cardiovascular Health, said it was his belief that the variability between sites “speaks to the need for a uniform, standardised national cardiovascular prevention programme”.

“We need a standardised programme for secondary prevention,” he said.