DEATHS from heart disease – one of the UK’s biggest killers – have risen for the first in 50 years, grim figures show.
The number of working age adults dying from heart disease has rose by 18 per cent between 2019 and 2023, the British Heart Foundation warned.
In 2019, 18,693 people aged 20-64 passed away from heart issues in the UK.
This number surged to 21,975 in 2023, averaging 420 deaths a week.
This worrying trend follows decades of progress, which saw deaths conditions like and nearly halved since the 1960s, the said.
Since 2020, there’s been a 21 per cent rise in the number of people diagnosed with , from 650,00 up to a record high of 785,000.
There’s also been a 10 per cent rise in the number of people diagnosed with – a major risk factor for stroke, heart failure and heart attack – from 1.48 million to 1.62 million.
This has also coincided with spiralling diabetes diagnoses, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, as well as rising rates of .
An estimated 29 per cent of the adult population – 16 million adults – are now obese, while 4.6 millions Brits have diabetes.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, the BHF’s chief executive, said: “It’s been the worst start to a decade for heart for half a century.”;;
In response to these grim figures, the charity announced it was launching a new strategy.
“By driving a research revolution, we can reverse this worrying trend and save more lives than ever before.
“The BHF’s new strategy will be key to this, and the next step for us as we aim to save many more families the heartbreak of losing loved ones far too soon.”;;
It pledged to re-imagine how the UK prevents heart diseases through embracing advances in areas like data , and behavioural sciences, increase investment in UK cardiovascular research, improve the care and support people with heart conditions receive.
Professor Bryan Williams, the charity’s chief scientific and medical officer, said: “Research-driven innovation in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases has been one of the great success stories of modern .
“However, these diseases remain one of the biggest yet most preventable causes of premature death and ill health.
“We need to act now to prevent the hard-won progress of recent decades being lost for generations.”;;
It’s estimated that around 7.6 million Brits live with heart disease – this number is expected to rise by 2 million by 2040.
Heart and circulatory diseases cause around a quarter (26 per cent) of all deaths in the UK, accounting for more than 170,000 deaths a year.
There are four main types of heart disease: coronary , , peripheral arterial disease and aortic disease.
The first involves blood supply to the heart being blocked or reduced – usually by a buildup of fatty in the arteries – which can lead to angina, heart attacks or heart failure.
Strokes are caused by oxygen supply to the brain being cut off, often by blood clots.
Peripheral arterial disease occurs when there’s a blockage in the arteries to the limbs, usually the legs., and can cause a cramp-like pain or weakness.
Meanwhile, aortic disease involves the wall of the aorta — the largest blood vessel in the body which carries blood from the to the rest of the body — becoming weakened and bulging outwards.
It causes pain in your chest, as well as in you back or tummy in some cases.
Though heart disease is one of the biggest killers in the UK, its symptoms can be hard to spot.
Nor do they just involve the chest, as signs of the condition can crop up all across the body.
Professor Elijah Behr, a consultant cardiologist at Mayo Clinic and St George’s Hospital in , said there can be “serious red flags”;; to look out for with heart disease.
He said: “For some people, they may have risk that heart disease is developing but won’t necessarily have any symptoms that highlight it.
“But there are symptoms that can raise concern, particularly of coronary artery disease, which is firming of the arteries and is one of the most common causes of heart disease.”;;
1. Trouble breathing
Panting or wheezing are other signs you could be suffering with heart disease.
Feeling short of breath could indicate you have — which is often caused by coronary heart disease — an abnormal heart rhythm, or could be about to have a heart attack.
Professor Behr said: “Chest pain or on exertion can be a signed of coronary artery disease.
“The symptoms of heart failure are breathlessness on exertion, but also breathlessness at rest for some people that might be quite badly affected.
“For some people, they can feel breathless just lying flat in bed or need pillows to help sit them up — that can be a sign that heart failure is developing.”;;
2. Swelling in your legs
can also be a sign of heart failure, as well as poor circulation in your legs.
It could indicate there is a clot in your leg that is blocking blood returning to your heart.
Professor Behr said: “Swelling in the ankles or the abdomen, these are potential signs of heart failure developing.”;;
3. Heart palpitations
Feelingyour heart flutter could also be a sign of heart disease.
Professor Behr said: “Another symptom that might highlight that there is underlying heart disease is symptoms related to rhythm disturbances of the heart.
“They can sometimes cause sensation of , the heart rhythm being disturbed in some way.
“That might be the heart rhythm racing away or being erratic, or both.”;;
4. Dizziness
If your heart isn’t pumping enough blood to the brain it can cause lightheadedness and dizzy spells.
This could be a result of heart failure, an or a lesser known sign of .
Professor Behr said: “If rhythm disturbances are severe, they may make people feel dizzy or lose consciousness.
”;;Those are also important symptoms to be aware of — abrupt loss of consciousness, palpitations causing dizziness, can be serious red flags as well.”;;
5. Skin colour changes
Poor circulation can cause parts of your skin to turn blue or grey, particularly in your fingers and toes.
This could indicate narrowed or blocked blood vessels.
Professor Behr said: “It depends on if there is associated disease with the blood vessels supplying the skin, which could point towards coronary artery disease.”;;
He continued: ”;;If you have heart failure there can be congestion of the tissues caused by the back up of blood and fluid in the heart and in the body.
“That congestion of tissues can back up into the body in general, which is what causes swelling, affecting the skin as well.
“The skin may develop changes in its colour or texture — but this is usually at a relatively late stage of heart failure, rather than an earlier stage.”;;
6. Sexual problems
Men who struggle with performance in bed may also be at risk of heart disease.
Problems with achieving an erection could indicate the blood supply to your manhood is not strong, indicating problems with the arteries.
Professor Behr said: “ is quite common. It can be a sign of having problems in the arteries supplying that part of the anatomy.
”;;It can also be associated with conditions like , so it may be a sign, but again it is often an advanced sign.
7. Fatigue
Heart failure can make you feel excessively tired because the organ no longer pumps enough blood around the body.
Professor Behr said: “Fatigue would probably fit in more with the heart failure symptoms.”;;
8. Poor sleep
apnoea – when your breathing stops and starts while you sleep – can put you at risk of high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, strokes, and heart failure.
If your snoring is broken up by pauses in your breathing, it can reduce the amount of oxygen going to the brain.
This causes the brain to send signals that make the heart work harder to push blood around, increasing the risks of these.
9. Excessive sweating
Feeling hot and clammy on a warm day is nothing to worry about.
But excessive sweating can be a sign of a heart attack if you have other symptoms including chest pain radiating down the arms or back, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea and fatigue.
Sweating may also be associated with atherosclerosis, when arteries are narrowed by the buildup of fatty deposits called plaques.
Atherosclerosis can lead to a heart attack and heart failure as it narrows the arteries, making the body work harder to deliver blood to vital organs, such as the heart
Angina, or chest pain, can occur when not enough oxygen-rich blood reaches the heart. People with angina often break out in a cold sweat.
10. Leg cramps
We all get leg cramps from time to time.
But you should see a doctor if you get a gripping, cramping sensation in your calves when you are walking.
This might be a symptom of peripheral arterial disease, when a build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries restricts blood supply to leg muscles.
11. Feeling sick
All of us feel sick from time to time, and it’s definitely not always an indication that something’s wrong with your heart.
But you should be worried if you feel nauseous while also experiencing pain in your chest.
This is how David Newby, a professor of cardiology at the BHF Centre of Research Excellence at the University of Edinburgh,put it: “If you experience intense chest pain even when you are just sitting around doing nothing and you are also feeling sick, that is the time to call for an ambulance.”;;
It’s also worth calling NHS 111 for advice if you’re feeling discomfort in your chest as well as feeling sick.
An indigestion-type pain or a burning sensation in your chest or stomach can be a sign of a heart attack or related heart problem, Dr Newby said.
12. Pain in your jaw, neck and back
If you’re having a heart attack, pain may also spread to other parts of your body as well as your chest.
This includes your arm, jaw, neck or back.
It’s more likely to be a heart attack if the pain is going down your arm, especially your left arm or into your neck.
