A new cardiovascular strategy is urgently required, the Irish Heart Foundation has insisted.

The last strategy, Changing Cardiovascular Health: Cardiovascular Health Policy 2010-2019, established a framework for the prevention, detection and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in an attempt to reduce the burden of these conditions.

However, it has since lapsed and it has not been replaced with an updated policy.

“The plan is now out of date and no formal review of the policy and the implementation of its recommendations has taken place.

“The scope and parameters of the current National Cardiac Services Review does not include a full and holistic approach to cardiovascular health, so preparations must begin for the development of a new cardiovascular health policy, with a lead unit in the Department of Health,” commented the foundation’s medical director, Dr Angie Brown.

She said that a key part of this new policy “should be an increased focus on prevention and early diagnosis, as had been the case in the previous policy”.

The foundation made its comments following the publication of new research by the National Office of Clinical Audit, which included findings on the links between smoking and heart attacks.

The research, which covered the period 2017 to 2020, revealed that smokers who suffer heart attacks are considerably younger than non-smokers. On average, male smokers were found to suffer heart attacks at the age of 56 compared to 65 in non-smoking males.

Female smokers were found to suffer heart attacks at the age of 60 compared to 76 in non-smoking females.

Among people under the age of 40 who had suffered a heart attack, 64% were smokers.

“We can see from the findings of the report the need for a comprehensive and focused campaign on prevention and awareness, particularly around the symptoms of heart attacks as well as risk factors,” Dr Brown said.

The heart attack audit by the National Office of Clinical Audit can be viewed here.