The British stiff upper lip is costing thousands their lives by deterring them from seeking help when they are having a heart attack, according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Almost half the population would ignore the chest pains that could be heart attack symptoms, preferring to wait and see if they improved before calling for medical help, a survey for the charity suggested.

As prompt treatment improves greatly the chances of surviving a cardiac arrest, this is almost certainly contributing to thousands of deaths each year. Anyone with chest pain should call the emergency services immediately, the charity said. While most people assume that the pain from a heart attack is intense, the first symptoms are often mistaken for indigestion and ignored.

The BHF survey indicated that 40 per cent of people would wait to see whether their chest pains went away before dialling 999. Sixty-four per cent said that they would call a friend, relative or doctor before calling for an ambulance. Four out of five people said they would doubt the seriousness of the symptoms.

The results were announced yesterday, as the BHF began its “Doubt Kills” campaign to encourage people to ring the emergency services if they experience symptoms consistent with a heart attack.

The campaign features a poster of a man with a belt tightening around his chest, with the caption: “A chest pain is your body saying call 999.”

Peter Weissberg, medical director of the BHF, said: “These statistics portray a very worrying and, perhaps very British, reluctance to call 999. Maybe it is our natural reserve and stoicism, but it is costing lives.

“Every second counts when you are having a heart attack, and the quicker you call 999 the greater your chances of survival. Unfortunately, too many people waste vital minutes questioning their symptoms — our message is if you’re suffering chest pain, call 999 immediately, because doubt kills.”

Most people who have a heart attack wait for an average of 90 minutes before calling for an ambulance, and an average of two hours and 40 minutes passes before they are treated. Every two minutes, someone in Britain has a heart attack, and about one in three of these dies before reaching hospital.

Those who receive treatment four to six hours after the onset of symptoms are twice as likely to die as those treated within one to two hours.

Professor Weissberg said: “Sadly, many of these deaths could have been avoided if people had sought help immediately. Successful treatments for heart attacks are available in the form of clot-busting drugs and procedures to open blocked arteries.

“Central chest pain is the most common warning sign, but it does not have to be excruciating to be a serious problem. The most common mistake people make is to assume it is indigestion.” Other symptoms include a dull chest pain that spreads to the left arm or jaw, breathlessness and sweating.

Richard Diment, chief executive of the Ambulance Service Association, said: “Ambulance services are backing the BHF’s campaign because we’re all in the business of saving lives, and we’d rather attend a false alarm than arrive too late.”

Explore Health News

• Swine flu

Times Recommends

• Milk: do we need a dairy godmother?
• DIY: the women doing it for themselves
• First double portrait of Princes unveiled