Patients with life-threatening faulty heart valves are falling victim to a ‘postcode lottery’ that means some must wait more than half a year for diagnosis, according to new research.
The condition, known as aortic valve stenosis, occurs when a crucial valve in the heart narrows, reducing blood flow to the body. Left untreated, it can lead to heart failure and death.
New data, shared exclusively with The Mail on Sunday, reveals that patients in certain parts of the country are experiencing unacceptably long waits for treatment because doctors are failing to spot the condition.
Patients in London are worst affected, with half forced to wait more than six months from their first appointment for a diagnosis. And 46 per cent of heart valve patients in the West Midlands waited longer than half a year to be told they had the condition.
Those in the South West experienced the shortest delays in England, with just 16 per cent waiting longer than six months.
Experts say the differences between regions are largely due to GPs in more populated areas of the country having less time to carry out detailed physical examinations of patients that would reveal signs of the disease.
Aortic valve stenosis affects more than 300,000 Britons. It is usually caused by a build-up of calcium, a mineral found in the blood, on the valve. This increases with age in most people – but smoking, high blood pressure and obesity can accelerate it.
Replacing the faulty valve can stop heart failure from developing, and in most cases on the NHS this is done by surgery.
File image: Patients with life-threatening faulty heart valves are falling victim to a ‘postcode lottery’ that means some must wait more than half a year for diagnosis, according to new research
The first symptoms are often breathlessness, chest pain and dizziness. To get a diagnosis, patients need to be examined by a GP, who will use a stethoscope to listen for an abnormal heart beat. They would then refer the patient for a hospital echocardiogram.
But, according to Wil Woan, chief executive of Heart Valve Voice, which commissioned the research, many patients who present with symptoms are not immediately examined by a GP.
