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Cardiovascular diseases carry a heavy financial burden and the cost of premature death, lost productivity, hospital admissions and prescriptions is estimated at £19 billion. Coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease are the predominant reasons for this disturbingly high number.
Prevalence of cardiovascular disease in the UK
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most common form of cardiovascular disease and accounts for around 74,000 deaths in the UK each year. Effective treatments can lower this number significantly and since 2000 there has been a 40 % reduction in deaths from heart disease in people under 75, but still CHD is the biggest killer in the UK. Roughly 2.3 million people are currently living with CHD.
Heart attacks are the most common reason for CHD deaths, with roughly 103,000 episodes each year. It is estimated that there is roughly 900,000 men and over 400,000 women in the UK who have had a heart attack. 750,000 of these are under the age of 75. Sadly, heart attacks come without warning and one in three people who experience a heart attack die before they arrive at the hospital.
Cerebrovascular disease is the second most common CVD and it is estimated that there are 152 ,000 episodes of strokes annually in the UK. More than 40,000 of these cause death.
Last updated: 14/01/2017
