Apples for Health- Most heart disease not caught early

Most heart disease not caught early

PORTLAND, Ore., May 15 (UPI) -- Doctors, who diagnose some 1 in 5 heart problems before symptoms appear, are missing opportunities to identify heart disease early, U.S. researchers said.

The study of 13,877 people, published in the May issue of the International Journal of Clinical Practice, found that about 11 percent of the respondents had been diagnosed with heart disease.

However, 19 percent of those individuals -- who had been involved in the ongoing study for two years -- said that their heart disease was picked up during routine screening.

The researchers from Oregon, Maryland and Delaware, said 54 percent of the diabetic patients with heart disease who took part in the study reported that their heart disease was diagnosed when they became symptomatic. A further 22 percent said their heart disease was picked up while they were being treated for other health issues.

Forty-eight percent were diagnosed with heart disease when they became symptomatic and 15 percent were picked up during treatment for other conditions.

"Our study showed that not enough patients with heart disease are being picked up during routine screening or treatment for conditions like diabetes, which are commonly associated with heart problems," lead author Dr. Sandra J Lewis of the Northwest Cardiovascular Institute in Portland, Ore., said in a statement.

"The majority of those who took part in the study were not diagnosed until they started displaying symptoms."