Heart related deaths up by almost a third since 2019
Worrying figures reflect a rise in cardiovascular diseases leading to deaths across the South West
Alarming new data reveals deaths from heart and circulatory diseases in the South West are up by almost a fifth since 2019.
The data comes from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) as the heart health experts say it's the worst start to a decade for half a century.
Since 2020, latest Devon figures show:
• A 28% rise in the number of people diagnosed with heart failure, up to a high of 17,047 from 13,349.
A 9% rise in the number of people diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, up from 35,712 to a high of 39,100.
A 6% rise in the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, up to a high of 80,514 from 75,792.
High rates of obesity. An estimated 25% of the adult population – 270,000 adults – now have a weight defined as obese.
An 85% increase in the NHS cardiovascular waiting list in Devon at 12,665 up from 6,864 at the start of the decade.
Senior Cardiac Nurse at BHF, Julie Ward, said it's a "huge step back" from decades of progress on heart health.
She said there are many factors influencing the data, calling it a "worrying trend", as the organisation launches a new strategy to tackle the problems.
Changes in behaviour and obesity crisis
The figures cover the period where the world went into lockdown due to the outbreak of Covid-19 during 2020, which Julie says possibly triggered lifestyle changes which we are still doing today.
"A lot of people were working from home, sitting at laptops and we're still, you know, we're still doing those behaviours now," she said.
Julie said the rising issue of obesity in the UK isn't helping, with 28% of Wiltshire adults now have a weight defined as obese.
"It's a complex situation," she told Greatest Hits Radio: "It's due to a lot of different factors, but the focus really when it comes to sort of lifestyle is to change behaviours and we're talking about, you know, getting more exercise and eating more healthily."
Julie told us the organisation is working alongside Government to reduce sugar, salt and fats in the foods the we buy to ease the obesity crisis.
She added the higher consumption rates of salt is leading to a rise in cases of high blood pressure, which also contributes to cardiovascular diseases.
A focus on prevention
Julie told us they want to prevent heart disease in the first place, telling us that they're looking at a number of ways to unlock healthy hearts.
With people living longer, they are at risk of conditions like a heart attack or a strike, so providing the necessary support to communities is a must.
BHF is aiming to guide positive behaviour changes, to make communities healthier, while also using AI to improve detection of risk factors.
"Risk factors are things like high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, tracking those early and treating them early to prevent a heart condition or a stroke happening," Julie said.
But perhaps the most important boost is in funding to research projects to find new treatments and, hopefully, cues for heart disease.
"We're already funding £100 million a year in heart research, but we're going to increase that funding and drive some very ambitious changes, finding new drugs, new treatments, new surgeries, and with that focus of detecting things early and preventing things getting worse," Julie explained.
Julie said anyone experiencing "unusual" symptoms of pain in their chest should call 999, while any intermittent "niggling" pain should see people speak to their GP.