Health experts warn older people to be alert to heart disease signs

Croí CEO, Neil Johnson, said: “Too often, it goes unnoticed and undiagnosed as we don’t realise that there may be something more troubling going on."

One in eight older people suffer from heart valve disease but the symptoms are often mistaken for less serious conditions, a leading heart health expert has said.

This potentially serious condition causes up to half of the patients with severe aortic stenosis to die within two years if not treated. Croí, the Irish heart and stroke charity, has urged over 65s to include an annual stethoscope check-up into their health routine.