Britons ‘largely unaware of heart disease warning signs’

UK adults are largely ignorant of the warning signs of coronary heart disease, according to a new study from the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

The charity's survey of more than 2,000 people found that only two percent of respondents were afraid of developing the condition, despite the disease killing around 73,000 people a year.

Widespread misconceptions about the nature of the condition were also revealed, with 90 percent wrongly believing that high blood pressure comes with visible symptoms. Meanwhile, 19 percent did not know heart disease could be caused by smoking, and 34 per cent were unaware it can cause a stroke.

Other findings included that 50 percent did not known having diabetes can increase the risk of heart disease, with ten percent confessed to not knowing how to look after their hearts.

Dr Mike Knapton, the organisation's associate medical director, said: "Despite being a largely preventable condition, coronary heart disease is still the UK's single biggest killer, causing unnecessary heartache for thousands of families."

In the UK, there are an estimated 2.7 million people living with the condition, which generally affects men more than women.