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Doctors accused of scaring heart patients
Heart patients 'given poor advice' |
Patients with angina are living in fear of death because of unnecessary warnings from the medical profession, an expert claims.
Their chances of recovering from the heart condition are being reduced because of poor advice and scaremongering by doctors, says Professor Bob Lewin of the British Heart Foundation's rehabilitation research unit.
He says many of the 1.6m angina sufferers in Britain are being told to rest when they should be advised to exercise and are being given the impression they are not going to recover.
The restrictions imposed on their lifestyles, either by the patients themselves or by doctors, were potentially damaging to their health, said Professor Lewin in the medical journal, Heart.
Under-resourced
He called for better provision of cardiac rehabilitation programmes, which he claimed were "under-provided, under-resourced and poorly supported by medicine".
There was also a need to re-educate doctors about the condition to bring their knowledge up to date with latest developments.
 People are going from having mild disease to being chronic invalids because they are told to take it easy  |
| Professor Bob Lewin |
"Patients' beliefs about heart disease are often the most important determinant of their disability and quality of life," he said.
"In one or two rare cases, exercise can be damaging but for the great majority it would be better for them to do more. People are going from having mild disease to being chronic invalids because they are told to take it easy."
He adds in Heart: "Unfortunately, many health professionals share these misconceptions and reinforce them, urging patients to avoid provoking angina, to rest and `take things easy'."
A move towards rehabilitation schemes run in local communities, rather than at hospitals, would be beneficial to patients, he said. Simple programmes such as walking exercises to build up strength could show positive results.
He pointed to a study of 1,173 patients carried out in Aberdeenshire which showed those given treatment in the community were 28 per cent less likely to need a hospital admission in future.
Consistent messages from GPs, hospitals and other bodies were important to avoid creating confusion among patients, he added.
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British Heart Foundation |
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Heart medical journal |
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