Alarming figures reveal increase in heart-related deaths across the East Midlands
This has led to a 21% rise the number of people diagnosed with heart failure in five years in the region.
The UK has entered the worst start to a decade for heart health in more than 50 years, according to new analysis from the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
The data shows a sharp rise in cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths among working-age adults and increasing diagnoses of serious heart-related conditions.
The BHF has launched a new strategy in response, calling for greater investment in cutting-edge medical research to prevent, treat, and potentially cure heart diseases.
Emily McGrath, Senior Cardiac Nurse at the BHF, said: "We’re now seeing an average of 420 deaths a week in working-age UK adults under the age of 65 from cardiovascular disease."
According to BHF data, the East Midlands in 2023, heart and circulatory diseases caused 1,639 deaths in people of working age (20-64) in the East Midlands. That's up from 1,353 in 2019. A rise of 21% in five years
A 13% rise in the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, up to a high of 349,953 from 308,896.
As a result there has been a 64% increase in the NHS cardiovascular waiting list in the East Midlands at 29,140 up from 17,778 at the start of the decade
Ms McGrath said: "It’s an example of , as we're all very well aware, how much pressure the NHS is under. I think that’s just something that we’re seeing everywhere."
The BHF believes several factors are contributing to this trend, including NHS backlogs following the COVID-19 pandemic and wider socioeconomic challenges.
Some of the suspected socioeconomic challenges are health inequalities, people struggling to access things that are good for their heart health, thought to be driven by poverty or access to services.
To tackle the crisis, the BHF is focusing on advanced research, including a project at the University of Oxford that uses artificial intelligence to predict heart attack risk up to 10 years in advance.
The charity is calling for further government support and investment to expand its work.