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A new research reveals that a quarter of the elderly have undiagnosed treatable heart problems. 

According to heart experts from Newcastle, the elderly in our society can be given simple heart treatments that could make them live longer with an improved quality of life as well.  

For the study, researchers from Newcastle University studied people aged 87 to 89 years old and found that a routine test conducted at home reveals that around one-fourth of the total numbers of the elderly in the society have undiagnosed heart problems which could be treated with established and cost-effective treatments.

The researchers carried out echocardiograms -heart scans- using portable instruments. The findings revealed that 26% of participants in the study had a previously undiagnosed heart problem, in particular, impairment of left ventricular systolic function, which can leave them breathless and also lead to a cardiac arrest. 

The condition can be treated drugs such as beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors. 

"We were surprised to discover just how many older people have heart problems. Many of these people could be treated with drugs that we know work, if their condition were recognised," said lead researcher Bernard Keavney, a cardiologist at Newcastle University.

"Our research suggests that it might be practical to offer people over 85 who are breathless, an echocardiogram at home which would reveal these problems. Because this heart problem occurs so often at this age, home checks are likely to be cost-effective. This would improve their quality of life and it's likely to slow their progression to heart failure."

"With heart failure, prevention is definitely a priority. Older patients coming into hospital with worsening heart failure is one of the largest sources of expenditure for the NHS. The number of people over 85 is already soaring, and this will continue for the foreseeable future. So anything we can do to improve the heart health of our oldest old is likely to have a big impact," he added.

Dr. Joanna Collerton, Senior Clinical Research Associate at Newcastle's Institute for Ageing and Health and the study's co-lead author said that their discovery reveals that many people in this age group have heart problems when compared to younger age-groups. This suggests that there needs to be a focus of the older people to ensure a healthy future to them.

"This study suggests that there are probably many more very elderly people in the community with heart problems than we previously supposed and many have symptoms like breathlessness that limits their daily activities. Despite this, their heart condition is often not recognised," Dr Shannon Amoils, Research Advisor at the BHF, said in the press release.

The study was funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and was published in the journal Heart.