A study by the ibs.GRANADA and the University of Granada identifies the signs of a heart attack that are least recognized by the population
The study “Cardiobarometer Spanish”, published in the international journal “Social Science & Medicine”, investigates how people interpret different combinations of symptoms of acute coronary syndrome
Seeking medical care is more likely to be delayed when a person does not have severe chest pain.
Women take longer to seek help, despite more frequently recognizing that it could be a cardiovascular event
Rapid treatment in the event of a heart attack is crucial to saving lives and reducing complications. It is essential that the population recognises the possible symptoms, which can manifest in different combinations, which sometimes makes it difficult to identify the disease and the urgent need to seek medical attention.
A study co-led by the Biosanitary Research Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA) and University of Granada (UGR), has analyzed how people evaluate different manifestations of acute coronary syndrome. The researchers conducted more than 1000 telephone interviews with people aged 55 or over living in Spain to study their reaction to four different scenarios of this pathology.
The results show that when chest pain is not experienced or is mild, people tend to delay seeking help and do not recognise that it could be a cardiovascular event. “Although chest pain is usually the most common symptom, it is estimated that around one in five patients with acute coronary syndrome do not experience it. Our study suggests a lower awareness and appropriate response to symptoms that do not include severe chest pain,” she says. Dafina Petrova, “Miguel Servet” researcher of the group A17-Epidemiology, Prevention and Control of Cancer at the ibs.GRANADA and the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, and first signatory of the study. “These results highlight the importance of educating the population about the various combinations of symptoms that could occur in a coronary infarction, which may or may not include chest pain,” adds the researcher.
La Dr. Rocio Garcia-Retamero, professor of psychology at the University of Granada, highlights the gender gap in acute coronary syndrome, as various studies indicate that women experience chest pain less frequently than men, which could affect the correct recognition and treatment of the disease. “Our study offers a novel perspective on this gender gap, showing that women tend to delay seeking help longer, regardless of the combination of symptoms, despite being more aware that it could be a cardiovascular event. This suggests that women's medical decisions may be influenced by factors other than disease recognition, which should be investigated in greater depth,” says García Retamero.
The study "Spanish cardiobarometer” used an innovative methodology that allows for the assessment of how people in the general population, both with and without a history of cardiovascular disease, perceive the different symptoms of acute coronary syndrome. This methodology overcomes some biases in previous studies, which have focused on people who survived coronary events, excluding the most vulnerable people who did not survive.
This work, published in Social Science & Medicine, is the result of the collaboration of experts in psychology, cardiology, public health, medicine and epidemiology from different institutions, including the ibs.GRANADA Biosanitary Research Institute, the University of Granada, the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, the Andalusian School of Public Health, CIBERESP, the National Epidemiology Center of the Carlos III Health Institute and the Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark.
About the research groups
El grupo A17-Epidemiology, Prevention and Control of Cancer The group focuses on research into the etiology, prevention and control of cancer, with an emphasis on epidemiology, risk factors (nutritional, environmental and lifestyle), and health economics, supported by the Granada Cancer Registry and collaborating in multi-center projects such as EPIC. For its part, the group MPE05-Translational Research in Cardiovascular Diseases focuses on the study of cardiac pathologies, such as heart failure, sudden death and arrhythmias, exploring their genetics, pharmacogenetics and possible treatments, with special interest in nutrition, physical exercise and multidisciplinary management of these conditions. Both groups have a strong international projection and a multidisciplinary approach in public and clinical health.
More information about the groups:
https://www.ibsgranada.es/grupos-de-investigacion/a17-epidemiologia-cancer/
https://www.ibsgranada.es/grupos-de-investigacion/mpe05-cardiologia/
Bibliographic reference:
Petrova D, Garrido D, Catena A, Ramírez-Hernández JA, Blakoe M, Fernández-Martínez NF, Pérez-Gómez B, Sánchez MJ, Garcia-Retamero R. Anticipated prehospital decision delay in response to different symptom clusters in acute coronary syndrome: Results from the Spanish Cardiobarometer Study. Social Science & Medicine. 2024 Aug 23:117263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117263
