A warning - now Premier needs more tests

Published on Friday 1 October 2004 01:38

IF I had a patient in Tony Blair’s position, my advice would be to avoid too much stress, to avoid pushing things too hard. But this is almost impossible to achieve when you are Prime Minister.

He looked awful at the Labour conference - haggard and tired. I doubt he has been getting enough exercise or sleep or a good diet.

If you need this sort of procedure, it’s a warning that your circulatory system is not as good as it could be.

There will need to be a very careful check on the rest of his circulatory system. If something goes wrong in one place, other areas may be at risk. The doctors will need to take a careful look at blood cholesterol levels.

Afterwards, there will be no great cuts, just a small hole in the leg where the catheter goes in - so, strictly speaking, it’s non-surgical. Patients do not necessarily need weeks and weeks off work, but need to take a long, cool look at their lifestyle - to look at the work they are doing and ask if it is conducive to long-term good health.

I would recommend a low-fat diet, good sleep and plenty of exercise - but the most important thing is an assessment of the rest of the circulatory system. Mr Blair will need blood tests, heart tracings and checks on cholesterol levels - and he will probably need medication for the rest of his life.

• IAN McKEE is an Edinburgh GP and Scotsman columnist