Older Australians are being asked to book health checks after new research revealed that a “silent killer” is more deadly than previously thought.
Up to 100,000 Australians are believed to live with a severe form of aortic stenosis.
The condition involves a narrowing and calcification of the aortic valve, making it difficult for blood to pump throughout the body.
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A study by the University of Notre Dame Australia and the National Echo Database Australia found that people with a mild case of aortic stenosis had a much higher risk of death than previously thought.
About two-thirds of people with a mild case could die in five years if the disease was not treated, a mortality rate only marginally lower than those who had a severe case.
Older Australians are being asked to book health checks after new research revealed that a “silent killer” is more deadly than previously thought. Credit: AP
UNDA cardiologist and professor David Playford said the disease was a “common condition.”
He said he was often described as a “silent” killer because there are no symptoms in the early stages of the disease.
“Aortic stenosis is not something you feel in the early stages,” he told 7NEWS.
“Therefore, a person who has aortic stenosis often has no idea that the problem is happening within him.
“The best way to pick it up is to listen to it with a stethoscope and then do an echo (echocardiogram), which is an ultrasound of the heart, to diagnose it correctly.”
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He said people over the age of 55 are at higher risk.
“From the age of 55 and especially those over 65, it’s very important to go for a health check-up and have your GP listen to your heartbeat,” Playford said.
“And then, if there’s a whisper or a sound that might be abnormal, echo it.
“The risk of aortic stenosis is that if not identified, it could be fatal if left untreated, and if there are symptoms, it is even more likely to be a risk.
“But even asymptomatic people are potentially at risk for the disease.”
“For those over 55 and especially those over 65, it’s very important to go for a health check-up and have your GP listen to your heartbeat.” Credit: Getty Images
Cardiovascular disease causes 27% of deaths in Australia, according to data from the federal health department.
Some 1.2 million Australians have at least one heart or vascular disease.