The Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) has expressed concern that people experiencing symptoms of heart disease and stroke are not going to hospital because of fears over COVID-19 (coronavirus), and because they do not want to burden the healthcare system.

According to consultant cardiologist, Dr Angie Brown, who is the medical director of the IHF, in recent weeks, there has been a "marked reduction in heart disease and stroke presentations in Ireland".

"We suspect this is related to the coronavirus outbreak. We've also heard of cases recently of stroke patients being admitted too late for effective treatment because they were reluctant to go to hospital.

"It's completely understandable that people are concerned about the coronavirus right now and don't want to burden the healthcare system, but the unfortunate reality is that people are risking their lives if they ignore symptoms because of these concerns," Dr Brown said.

She emphasised that healthcare professionals in cardiac and stroke services "are working hard to ensure urgent care is still being delivered across the country".

"Anyone experiencing symptoms of a stroke or heart attack should follow the normal protocol and call an ambulance without delay," she insisted.

When it comes to stroke, time is of the essence and people are urged to act FAST:
-F is for face. Has the person's face fallen on one side. Can they smile?
-A is for arms. Can the person raise both their arms and keep them there?
-S is for speech. Is the person's speech slurred?
-T is for time. Time to call 112 or 999 if you see any one of these signs.

There are approximately 10,000 stroke-related incidents in Ireland every year. While most people who have a stroke are over the age of 65, one in four strokes occur in people under the age of 65.

Meanwhile, a heart attack is a life-threatening event that occurs when the coronary arteries that supply blood to your heart muscle become blocked suddenly.

Heart attack symptoms can differ from person to person, but some of the more common symptoms include:
-Chest pain
-Pain in the upper body, such as the jaws, neck or arms
-Shortness of breath
-Sweating
-Nausea
-Loss of consciousness
-Weakness.

The most common symptom of a heart attack is chest pain. This is usually a crushing or tight pain, which may move to your jaw or your arms, particularly on the left side of the body.

However, the IHF warns that women in particular tend to experience less obvious and more vague symptoms, such as nausea, tiredness and tightness in the jaw, rather then the more well-known scenario of crushing chest pain that shoots down one arm.

The IHF advises anyone who is experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack to immediately call an ambulance on 112 or 999.

For more information on the IHF, click here.