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Borough hotspot for heart attacks

Posted by Lucy Proctor on May 6, 08 04:25 PM in Health

Brentford residents are being urged to look out for the symptoms of a heart attack as part of a campaign launched this week.

The area is in the top 13 'at risk' London boroughs for the killer disease according to the British Heart Foundation, but many residents have no idea about the warning signs.

The charity hopes to change that with its 'Doubt Kills' campaign, encouraging people to dial 999 at the first sign of trouble with a series of billboards and radio adverts.

Chest pain is the main symptom of a heart attack, but there are also others to be aware of, including indigestion-like aches, jaw, back and arm pain, breathlessness and sweating.

But many people leave it too late to call 999 because they worried about making a fool of themselves.

Dr Shahed Ahmad, associate director for health improvement, NHS London, said: "Too many Londoners may miss milder heart attack symptoms or are worried about calling for help.

"We want people to call 999 immediately when they experience central chest pain.

"Our health professionals and paramedics would rather attend a false alarm than arrive too late."

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