Britons Underestimate Impact of Heart Disease

Heart disease is Britain’ biggest single killer disease but more people are more worried about developing Alzheimer’s or cancer, according to a survey released on Friday.

Only 11 percent of people questioned in the British Heart Foundation (BHF) poll feared heart disease the most, compared to 49 percent who worried about cancer and 19 percent who were most concerned about Alzheimer’s disease. Twelve percent thought living with heart disease would have a major impact on their lives, while 41 percent thought it would affect it slightly. “Sadly, this is rarely the case. While some heart patients are lucky to carry on with only minor lifestyle changes, thousands of people each year have to deal with the fact their hearts are permanently damaged,” said Professor Peter Weissberg, the medical director of the BHF. Many of the 1,057 Britons who took part in the survey knew that there are about 2.7 million heart disease patients in Britain. The survey was reported as the BHF launched a 1 million pound appeal to fund more specialist nurses across the country. (Source: Reuters Health: February 2005.)