A NEW survey funded by the British Heart Foundation has revealed that the number of people suffering from angina symptoms could be halved.

The charity said that there are about 330,000 new cases of angina every year but people at moderate risk of a heart attack are placed on a "watch and wait" regime and, in some cases, do not have surgery until they actually have a heart attack or repeated episodes of severe angina.

Only a quarter of patients with severe angina are referred for surgery when first taken to hospital.