Charity in Lowestoft backs calls to make defibrillators and heart healthcare more accessible
Research shows people in poorer places are more likely to die before the age of 75 from heart disease
There are calls to make defibrillators and heart healthcare more easily accessible for everyone in Norfolk.
It's as a report from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) shows people in areas with a good level of care and infrastructure are much more likely to survive early heart disease.
Meanwhile, the rate at which people are dying before the age of 75 from heart disease is rising more than twice as quickly in the poorest parts of England.
Since 2019, the gap in early heart disease death rates between the most deprived and least deprived communities has widened by over 2.5 times.
Mike Farthing is chairman of the charity Heartbeat East Suffolk, which support those with heart problems in Lowestoft.
He's helping make our local area safer: "We've installed a total of 27 public access defibrillators in the local area, all controlled by the Ambulance Authority."
He explains these devices can be the difference between life and death: "If you use it, you might be able to help someone - if you don't and do nothing, they're dead and you can't bring anybody back from that."
Mike, who's had 2 heart attacks, also wants people with heart disease to know, whilst it can be scary, it doesn't have to be a death sentence, and can often be managed with treatment: "It isn't something you take lightly, but it's not a life sentence or a death sentence.
"You can have a broken leg and it'll et better, just as with heart disease and problems, they can be managed."
More about the BHF's report
Latest figures for 2022 show that the 10% most deprived areas have a rate of 109 per 100,000, compared with 50 per 100,000 in the wealthiest 10% of areas. This has increased from 94 per 100,000 in the most deprived areas and 45 per 100,000 in the least deprived in 2019.
The BHF reported in January that since 2020, the premature death rate for cardiovascular disease has risen year-on-year in every part of England – a reversal of decades of progress to reduce early heart disease deaths.
Latest figures show that in 2022, it reached the highest rate for more than a decade – an average of 79 per 100,000 people.
According to latest figures, in 2022 people living in the most deprived areas of England were more than twice as likely to die before turning 75 from cardiovascular conditions like heart attacks than people in the least deprived regions.
The 10 most deprived local authorities in England include Blackpool, Manchester, Hackney, and Birmingham.
The least deprived 10 areas include rural regions and smaller cities such as Wokingham.
The BHF says more research is needed to understand the trend, but the reasons are likely varied and complex.
It points to an established link between heart health and wealth as well as other factors, such as more people living with cardiovascular complications linked to Covid-19 infection, and ongoing extreme pressure on the NHS.
The charity also suggests successive Governments have failed to address the causes of heart attacks and strokes on the scale needed, which is storing up problems for the future.
These risk factors, which include obesity and high blood pressure, disproportionately affect people living in the most deprived communities.
The BHF says immediate action is needed to stop the health divide between rich and poor from growing further.
With a general election looming, they're urging on politicians of every party to make heart disease a health priority.
"We can start making progress"
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive at the BHF, said: “It is shameful in this day and age that someone can be at much greater risk of dying young from cardiovascular disease just because of where they live and how much money they have.
“We’re in the grip of a historic heart crisis. Without urgent action, the heart health gap between the richest and poorest will continue to grow even wider.
"More people will lose loved ones to heart disease through no fault of their own.
“This isn’t a problem that can be solved overnight, but we can start making progress if politicians make heart disease a key health priority.
"This could save countless lives, helping to keep families together for longer in every community."