Blaming age when you are not feeling well is not a good idea.

What’s happening to you might not be related to ageing at all but to you having developed a disease, for example heart valve disease (HVD).

Tiredness and breathlessness are symptoms of it, so it is advised that you go to see your doctor if you are experiencing these, says Neil Johnson, chair of Croí, the heart and stroke charity.

“HVD is a serious issue for the 65+ age group – particularly since many don’t realise that the symptoms for valve disease and getting older can be very similar.”

He often finds that patients blame age for changes in how they feel.

“They believe this is ‘just how it is’ and don’t talk to their doctor about it. Symptoms such as breathlessness, dizziness, swelling of hands or feet and fatigue are sometimes mistaken to be old age when, in fact, they are symptoms of HVD so don’t put off talking to your GP,” he says.

Croí is encouraging those in the 65+ age group to be aware of these signs and symptoms and if experiencing them, to visit their GP and ask “Could it be HVD?”

Croí spearheaded the European Heart Valve Disease Awareness Week in Ireland to highlight the prevalence of HVD amongst the 65+ age group in a bid to help patients reach and enjoy their third age with good health.

“Moving quickly on HVD can make a significant difference to a patient’s future. It could, quite literally mean the difference between life and death,” he added. Croí’s advice is to have a stethoscope examination at least once a year.

Symptoms – The nine Signs of Heart Valve Disease

There are nine signs that you (or someone you love) could have heart valve disease

  • 1 Tiredness – HVD has an impact on your energy levels.
  • 2 Shortness of breath – maybe you can’t walk as far as you used to, or perhaps you have to sit down more regularly than before – don’t delay as this needs to be checked by your GP.
  • 3 Chest tightness or pain – don’t ignore this, it requires urgent attention.
  • 4 Swelling of ankles or feet – people rarely believe that this is related to their heart, but it’s something to note and to watch out for.
  • 5 Dizziness – if you have been experiencing this, see your doctor quickly.
  • 6 Fainting – as above.
  • 7 Rapid or irregular heartbeat – if your heart is racing then you need to talk to your doctor.
  • 8 Heart murmur – if this is new, then a GP will spot it with a stethoscope exam.
  • 9 Feeling older than your age – if suddenly you just don’t feel yourself, and it feels like you’ve aged overnight, talk to your GP.

    • Treatment

    New developments have meant that treatments for HVD are in many cases less of an ordeal than the heart surgery of former years, CROI says.

    www.heartvalveweek.eu

    Sepsis

    Blood poisoning, it used to be called, then septicaemia, now the name for this dangerous condition is sepsis.

    It can develop from any infection and because it is complex and difficult to diagnose the HSE is urging everyone to familiarise themselves with the signs and symptoms of it.

    Be ready to ask, ‘Could it be Sepsis?’ – that’s the important message.

    Sepsis is the body’s abnormal response to infection that results in the body’s own immune system attacking its own tissues and organs.

    It can be life threatening. While it can affect anyone, it is more common in the very young, the elderly and people with pre-existing medical conditions or those with a weakened immune system.

    One in five people who develop sepsis will die, but with early recognition and treatment the risk can be reduced.

    Sepsis is a global healthcare problem, the HSE says and is more common than heart attack and claims more lives than any cancer, even in the most developed countries.

    Dr Martina Healy, HSE Sepsis Programme clinical lead says early recognition and treatment of sepsis is not easy.

    “Sepsis evolves over time and the pace of its development depends on the patient’s general health status, their genetic response to infection and the characteristics of the infection,” she says.

    “Thus, the patient’s characteristics (eg age, existing medical conditions and medications) can impact on the pattern of presentation. The body’s response and the causing bug also play a part on the clinical course of the illness.”

    Symptoms to watch for

    The most commonly reported symptoms include:

  • Slurred speech, confusion, excessive drowsiness.
  • Excessive sleepiness.
  • Pain or discomfort in the muscles or joints, passing very little or no urine.
  • Severe breathlessness, a racing heart, shivering, fever, feeling very cold.
  • Thinking to yourself, “I’m going to die.”
  • Skin changes like pale, cold, discoloured skin or a rash that won’t fade when pressed on

    • Signs to look out for in children:

  • Abnormally cold to the touch.
  • Looks mottled, bluish or pale.
  • Breathing very fast.
  • Unusually sleepy and difficult to wake.
  • A rash that does not fade when you press it.
  • Fits or convulsions.

    • Also in children under five years:

  • Not feeding.
  • Vomiting repeatedly.
  • Has not had a wet nappy in last 12 hours.

    • Videos

    There are a number of sepsis video stories on the HSE Ireland YouTube channel including Audrey McGahon from Co Clare whose daughter Molly got Sepsis.

    Heart attack

    Heart attack symptoms are not the same for everyone. The most common symptoms include:

  • Chest pain.
  • Upper body pain in the jaw, back, neck or arms.
  • Shortness of breath.
  • Sweating.
  • Nausea.
  • Light-headedness.
  • Loss of consciousness.
  • Weakness.
  • Tiredness.

    • 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.

    You may also feel short of breath, sweaty or sick. Some people may feel light-headed or lose consciousness. You may become anxious or very afraid.

    But...

    Ten to 15% of people who have a heart attack may not feel anything. This is more common in older people, especially women and those with diabetes. Sometimes these people just feel weak, tired or short of breath. Some elderly patients may simply become confused.

    Stroke

    The signs and symptoms of a stroke vary from person to person but they usually begin suddenly.

    As different parts of your brain control different parts of your body, your symptoms will depend upon the part of your brain that has been affected and the extent of the damage.

    The main stroke symptoms can be remembered with the word FAST:

  • Face: the face may have dropped on one side, the person may not be able to smile or their mouth or eye may have drooped.
  • Arms: the person may not be able to lift one or both arms and keep them there because of arm weakness or numbness.
  • Speech: their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake.
  • Time: it is time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms.

    • If you care for someone elderly, who has high blood pressure or diabetes it is even more important to be aware of these signs and symptoms.

    Symptoms in the FAST test identify about nine out of 10 strokes.

    Source: Irish Heart Foundation

    Be smart with your smartphone

    Worrying that you might feel unwell when out on your own and medical teams wouldn’t know who to contact?

    Well, don’t forget that you can put your medical details on your smartphone and emergency contact numbers also.

    Ambulance staff will be able to view it by tapping “Emergency Call” even when your phone is locked.

    There are lots of ways you can put your medical information on your phone and lots of videos online to show you how to do it.

    As well as the ways mentioned below you can have “in case of emergency” contacts (ICE contacts) eg ICE Mam or ICE Jack in your contacts folder. Just input and save the number as you would any number. Emergency staff will look for ICE numbers.

    On smartphones, for example, you can also put your medical details on your lock screen for anyone to see in case of emergency.

    You can also have them attached to your contact details in your contacts folder.

    On Samsung phones you will see that your name is always the first one on your contacts page. Tap on your name then swipe up and you’ll see the option to add your medical info so emergency responders can see it even when your phone is locked. You can also add emergency contact numbers here.

    On iPhones one of the ways is to open the Health app and tap the “Medical ID” tab. Tap “Edit”. If asked, tap “Edit Medical ID”. To make your “Medical ID” available from the lock screen on your iPhone, turn on “Show When Locked”. Enter health information. Tap “Done”.