MP Annette Brooke Endorses Heart Failure Awareness Campaign

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 1st Oct 2003

Annette Brooke, Lib Dem MP for Mid Dorset area recently joined a campaign to address heart failure care. In recognition of the British Cardiac Patients Association (BCPA) Heart Failure Awareness Week, Annette Brooke was one of over 100 MPs at the launch in Parliament putting pressure on the government for improvements in the diagnosis and care of heart failure. Annette Brooke also supported a parliamentary motion, EDM 1699 welcoming the heart failure awareness campaign.

Speaking about the campaign and the parliamentary motion, Mrs. Brooke said:

"Heart failure is a common and chronic condition. As the number of patients increases, the pressure on resources and on the NHS is increasing. Heart failure is a difficult condition to diagnose and awareness of the disease is extremely low. Urgent action is required to improve early diagnosis and treatment of symptoms."

Heart failure can be surprisingly difficult to diagnose as around half of patients have non-specific symptoms or no symptoms at all. Currently, just one in three cases is thought to be diagnosed correctly.

Mrs. Brooke continued: "Recently published guidelines recommend using new in vitro blood tests, NT - pro BNP, to rule out heart failure. This action would avoid the need for unnecessary, costly, out-patient tests, and would free up waiting lists. I'd like to see patients in my constituency having access to these tests, which can have a significant impact on the speed of diagnosis, and access to treatment."

Heart failure is a cause of significant ill health among people in late middle age and the elderly. Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, coughing, palpitations, weight loss, fatigue, swollen feet and ankles or swelling of the stomach and muscle wasting.

The awareness campaign initiated by the British Cardiac Patients Association is a very important means of highlighting the seriousness of the problem in the hope that those experiencing such symptoms, or who are concerned, contact their doctor for a check-up in order to catch the disease as early as possible.