A Sandhurst engineer is calling for people of his age not to ignore the symptoms of a serious heart condition.

Ex-British Army soldier Ian Berry had a heart murmur detected by chance during a routine health check through his employer.

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The 65-year-old, who is also a keen cyclist assumed chest pain and breathlessness was a normal part of exercise and his condition eventually deteriorated to the point where he couldn't do simple exercise.

Ian said: "I’ve always been physically active, having spent 24 years in the Army, working as an engineer and a keen cyclist. I would experience chest pains and become short of breath but always thought this was part of strenuous exercise.

“I was lucky, I was diagnosed during a routine stethoscope check through my employer, although my symptoms eventually meant I could no longer do much exercise.

"As a heart valve disease patient, I would urge anyone over 65 to ask their doctor for a stethoscope check so that the disease can get detected, diagnosed and treated as early as possible”.

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Following his Aortic Valve replacement surgery, Ian is now calling on people not to ignore the key warning signs and ask their GP for a stethoscope check at their next appointment.

He added: "Eventually I had my operation in June 2019 and by August I had made a good recovery and began cycling again. Today I’m very much back in the saddle and have planned some cycling challenges in the year ahead.

"I set myself a target of 1000 miles of mixed physical activity before the end of 2019 and actually achieved 1500, and have a target for this year of 4000 miles. Self motivation and encouragement are important, but the key to maintain a quality of life, is early detection and intervention where required."

Heart valve disease is a serious condition, affecting more than 1.5 million people in the UK over the age of 65.

More than half of patients with severe aortic stenosis die within two years of developing symptoms. Early detection is vital and can be achieved via a simple stethoscope check.