Study raises concern over wrong heart attack diagnoses

A study conducted by the University of Leeds has highlighted that almost one third of patients in England and Wales are misdiagnosed with the wrong condition following a heart attack.

The research involved examining NHS data on around 600,000 heart attack cases between April 2004 and March 2013. It identified that 198,534 patients were initially misdiagnosed, with women being 50 per cent more likely than men to have an initial diagnosis different from their final diagnosis.

According to figures from the British Heart Foundation (BHF), up to 28,000 women die from heart attacks each year in the UK.

Currently, heart attacks can be classified into two main types: NSTEMI, the more common type, involves a partial blockage of one or more arteries and can cause serious damage to the heart muscle, and STEMI, the ‘most serious type of heart attack’, which occurs when there is long interruption to the blood supply.

The research outlined that women who had a final diagnosis of STEMI had a 59 per cent greater chance of a misdiagnosis compared with men, while women who had a final diagnosis of NSTEMI had a 41 per cent greater chance of a misdiagnosis when compared with men.

Dr Mike Knapton, the BHF's associate medical director, explained: “This new study highlights the current scale of the issue and confirms more research is urgently needed into tests that will enable earlier and more accurate diagnosis of a heart attack, particularly in women.

Dr Chris Gale, one of the researchers from the study, said: “When people with heart attacks receive the wrong initial diagnosis, there are potentially important clinical repercussions.

"We need to work harder to shift the perception that heart attacks only affect a certain type of person. Typically, when we think of a person with a heart attack, we envisage a middle aged man who is overweight, has diabetes and smokes.

"This is not always the case - heart attacks affect the wider spectrum of the population - including women."

However, a spokesman for NHS England argued: "Survival rates for heart attacks are the best they have ever been and swift diagnosis and treatment is key to this.

"We are working hard to continually improve tests for accurately diagnosing heart attacks in both men and women so that correct treatment can begin without delay, ensuring the best possible recovery for patients.

"We are also working to increase awareness of signs and symptoms of heart attack amongst both the public and healthcare professionals as this will help speed up diagnosis."