Acute coronary syndrome: which age group tends to delay call for help?
1Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Salford, UK. drahmedayuna@gmail.com.
Insights
Middle-aged men and women delay seeking help for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) symptoms. Longer delays correlate with higher mortality rates, emphasizing the need for timely intervention.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) requires prompt medical attention to prevent severe complications and mortality.
- Delayed help-seeking behavior among ACS patients increases morbidity and mortality risks.
- Identifying specific demographics with delayed help-seeking is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine which age groups delay seeking medical help for acute coronary syndrome symptoms.
- To analyze the relationship between symptom onset, hospital arrival, and mortality in relation to age and gender.
Main Methods:
- Observational retrospective study analyzing patient data.
- Comparison of time delays from symptom onset to help-seeking and hospital arrival.
- Correlation analysis between time delays and mortality rates.
Main Results:
- Men in their 50s and women in their 40s showed significant delays in seeking help for ACS symptoms.
- Mean delay times were 590 ± 71.1 min for men and 1084 ± 120.1 min for women.
- Increased time delays from symptom onset to hospital arrival were observed in these groups, with mortality rates proportional to delay duration.
Conclusions:
- Middle-aged individuals of both genders exhibit delayed help-seeking for ACS.
- Mortality risk increases proportionally with the delay in seeking medical attention, irrespective of age.
- Findings inform the development of targeted educational programs to reduce pre-hospital delays in at-risk populations.
Background:
Early diagnosis and treatment of ACS can reduce the risk of complications and death. Delay calling for help can increase morbidity and mortality. It is unclear which age group among patients with acute coronary syndrome tend to delay their call for help.
Results:
Our observational retrospective study showed that men and women in their 50s and 40s respectively tend to delay their call for help from symptoms onset. For the former, the mean time delays (590 ± 71.1 min), whereas for the latter it was (1084 ± 120.1 min). Moreover, these groups tend to have a longer time delay between symptoms onset and arrival at the hospital. Among deaths, we observed that the death rate was proportional to the time delay, which is not unexpected. Next step, we plan to perform a qualitative study in the form of questionnaires to target the individuals with a high risk of CVD within these age groups.
Conclusion:
Middle age group of both genders tend to delay their call for help when they experience symptoms of ACS; moreover, regardless of the age, the longer the delay, the higher the mortality rate. The results of this study gave us a better understanding of our local population and will pave the road for a well-structured teaching programme for them to minimise the time delay for calling for help.
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