People are more likely to leave work due to heart disease than any other health problem, a report reveals.
Someone who suffered from cardiovascular disease between 2021 and 2022 had a 22 percent chance of leaving their job.
This compares with 14 percent of those affected by poor mental health and 16 percent of those diagnosed with cancer, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research.
Of working-age people who are economically inactive, nearly one in three has heart, blood pressure, or circulatory health problems.
This is especially serious for people over 50, who are currently the government’s target group for returning to work.
This graph shows the mortality rate from cardiovascular disease in those under 75 years of age in England (blue bars), which is the number of deaths per 100,000 people, as well as the total number of deaths (red line). Medical advances and advanced screening techniques have helped reduce these numbers since 2004, but progress began to stall in the early 2010s before reversing in recent years of data.
While some warning signs are easy to spot, such as severe chest pain, others are more vague and difficult to identify.
There is significant variation in the number of people dying from cardiovascular disease across England and Wales, with the north west being particularly affected.
If the entire UK had had the same results as the top tenth of local authorities, there would have been 32,000 fewer deaths in 2021 alone, analysis by the think tank reveals.
This is equivalent to five percent of all deaths from any cause nationwide.
Researchers say many of these deaths could have been avoided if advances in heart disease prevention had not slowed over the past decade.
If we had maintained even half of the progress in preventable cardiovascular disease mortality seen between 2005 and 2010, the report estimates there would have been almost 33,000 fewer deaths in 2019 – one in every 20 deaths that year.
While NHS waiting lists have increased steadily in recent years, exacerbated by the pandemic, cardiology waiting lists have tripled since 2012, greater growth than the growth in overall NHS waiting lists.
Experts say heart disease is highly preventable: About 80 percent of deaths from heart disease are avoidable.
IPPR is now calling on the government to implement a recovery plan for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, helping both the NHS and the economy.
He says this could be achieved by focusing attention on improving diets, reducing obesity, improving physical activity and reducing smoking rates and pollution.
The think tank wants new “preventive policies,” such as extending the sugar tax on soft drinks to all products high in fat and salt, and using the revenue to subsidize healthy food options and better access to preventive medications, like statins. .
It also calls for more efforts to retain specialized health personnel and more funding for cardiovascular disease research.
Report author Chris Thomas, head of the IPPR’s health and prosperity commission, said: “After great progress in the fight against cardiovascular disease in the 20th century, the UK is now stagnating, if not moving forward. back”.
‘This is not only costing lives, but also livelihoods. The good news is that heart disease is one of the most preventable health conditions, but the government has to take the lead and implement proactive policies.
“Both human lives and economic prosperity depend on it.”
John Maingay, policy director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “These hugely worrying findings show the profound impact heart disease is having on our health and wealth.”
‘Many cardiovascular diseases are preventable, and this report clearly shows how much we could gain as a society if we take bold steps to tackle one of the biggest causes of death and disability in the country.
‘But right now, every part of the system that delivers cardiac care needs urgent attention, from prevention, diagnosis, treatment and recovery, to crucial research that could give us better, faster treatments.
‘And worryingly, premature deaths from heart disease are at their highest level in 14 years.
“We can’t ignore this any longer: politicians must get this crisis under control, so we can build a healthier, wealthier nation for all.”