LONDON (Reuters), Nov 30 - The high death rate from heart disease among South Asians in Britain could be slashed if people sought emergency treatment immediately after they experienced chest pains, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said on Thursday.
South Asians in the U.K. have a 40% to 50% higher death rate from heart disease than the general population, according to the foundation's latest statistics.
To counter the problem, the BHF launched a new phase of its "Doubt Kills" campaign specifically targeted at the Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi communities, urging people not to delay calling 999.
Evidence suggests people of all ethic groups in Britain take an average 90 minutes to call for emergency help.
The campaign will include TV and radio ads in Hindustani and Bengali, and print adverts in Bengali, Urdu, Gujarati, and Punjabi.
"Most people in the U.K. are not good at recognizing when they are having a heart attack and taking swift action by calling 999, because they too often doubt the seriousness of the situation, or delay because they don't want to make a fuss," said Dr. Sandy Gupta.
"From my experience, South Asians, particularly older people, can be even less willing to call 999," added the consultant cardiologist and chairman of the BHF's Strategy Committee on Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) in Ethnic Minorities.
A YouGov poll earlier this month found 64% of all Britons experiencing heart attack symptoms would ring their partner, friend, relative, doctor, or NHS Direct -- the National Health Service's telephone network -- rather than call an ambulance.
Last Updated: 2006-11-30 10:05:44 -0400 (Reuters Health)
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