Around 160,000 people could be living with heart failure in Ireland within three years, a leading charity has warned.

The warning was contained in a new report by the Irish Heart Foundation.

The charity says that improvements in community care are needed to ease the pressure on hospitals and to ensure patients can lead healthier lives.

“If we have good, community-based services, we’re going to actually reduce the burden on the hospital services, improve the quality of life for people living in the community,” said Dr Angie Brown, a cardiologist and medical director of the Irish Heart Foundation.

“So it’s very important that we try and improve education for GPs, for nurses, for patients; increase awareness for patients and to know the signs and symptoms of worsening for heart failure so they do seek advice.”

There are currently 90,000 people living with heart failure in Ireland.