Nine in ten heart patients live with other long-term conditions, increasing their risk of dying

British Heart Foundation Cymru says we urgently need to improve treatment for people living with multiple conditions, to relieve mounting pressure on the NHS~_

Nine in ten people with coronary heart disease in Wales are living with at least one other long-term condition, such as stroke, dementia and high blood pressure, according to alarming figures released by British Heart Foundation Cymru (BHF)1.

The charity warns that a growing number of people living with inter-related health conditions – or multi-morbidities – represent a grave challenge for a health system focused on treating individual illnesses.

An analysis commissioned by the BHF, using the THINTM dataset from IQVIA, revealed that 93% of people in Wales living with coronary heart disease have at least one other long-term condition, while six in ten have at least three (58%). Numerous studies have shown that living with multiple conditions significantly increases the risk of early death 2,3,4,5.

THERE ARE ALMOST 120,000 PEOPLE WITH CORONARY HEART DISEASE IN WALES.

The analysis reveals that the most common comorbidity for people in Wales living with coronary heart disease is high blood pressure, which affects over half (58%) of patients. This is followed by:

* 27% of heart patients have DIABETES

* 14% of heart patients have had a STROKE

* 14% of heart patients are living with HEART FAILURE

* 3% of heart patients have DEMENTIA

Figures have also shown that people with coronary heart disease, including those who have suffered a heart attack, are more than twice as likely to suffer a stroke6, or develop vascular dementia7.

The findings come as new research shows there was a fourfold increase – from 6.3% to 24.3% – in the number of patients with heart and circulatory diseases living with five or more additional illnesses from 2000 to 20148. The reasons for this are poorly understood and not fully accounted for by an aging population.

The BHF says more research is urgently needed to improve our understanding of how conditions like stroke and vascular dementia are connected, and to develop new treatments for people living with multiple conditions.

ADAM FLETCHER, HEAD OF BHF CYMRU, SAID: “OVER THE YEARS WE’VE MADE HUGE PROGRESS IN IMPROVING SURVIVAL RATES FOR SINGLE CONDITIONS LIKE HEART ATTACKS WITH BHF-FUNDED RESEARCH LEADING THE WAY. HOWEVER, TODAY’S FIGURES POINT TOWARDS AN EMERGING AND VERY URGENT CHALLENGE.

“FOR EXAMPLE, INCREASING NUMBERS OF PEOPLE ARE SURVIVING HEART ATTACKS, BUT ARE GOING ON TO SUFFER STROKES OR LIVE WITH ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS LIKE VASCULAR DEMENTIA, WHICH LIMIT THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE, INCREASE THEIR RISK OF DYING AND WILL PLACE INCREASING PRESSURE ON THE HEALTH AND CARE SYSTEM ACROSS THE UK.

“WE CAN ONLY REVERSE THIS TREND BY FUNDING MORE RESEARCH INTO ALL CONDITIONS OF THE HEART AND CIRCULATORY SYSTEM, WITH A FOCUS ON HOW THEY CAN BE TREATED TOGETHER. THIS TYPE OF RESEARCH IS CURRENTLY CHRONICALLY UNDER-FUNDED BUT, WITH MORE SUPPORT, WE CAN FUND INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO TACKLE THESE CONDITIONS HEAD ON. THIS COULD ENSURE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE DON’T HAVE TO SPEND YEARS OF THEIR LIFE SUFFERING FROM SEVERAL LONG-TERM DEBILITATING CONDITIONS, OR WORSE, DYING FROM THEM.”

PAT PRITCHARD FROM LLANGEINOR NEAR BRIDGEND LIVES WITH HEART FAILURE FOLLOWING A HEART ATTACK AND HAS HAD AN ICD FITTED. THE 70 YEAR OLD SAID SHE FIRST BEGAN TO FEEL ILL IN 2014:

“I remember suffering with back ache in May 2014 and it got worse. One evening in June I felt as though I had a golf ball in my throat and chest, but there was no pain and I thought it was indigestion. I took some indigestion tablets but started vomiting. Initially doctors thought I had a viral infection, I was very tired all the time and following another visit to my GP, I was referred to hospital for an ECG and X-ray, where I was told I’d had a heart attack.

“Further tests confirmed I had heart failure and I would need to have an ICD fitted to pace my heart and to deliver a shock to bring back a normal heart rhythm. It all felt so sudden and a bit unreal. I couldn’t really believe I’d had a heart attack. I’d never had high cholesterol or high blood pressure so it was a surprise to me.”

“Living with heart failure means the littlest health issue becomes a big issue for me. Since my heart attack I’ve been diagnosed with asthma and often even catching a cold means I end up in hospital. I suffer with breathlessness and fatigue which can be triggered in hot weather like we’re having now. I also have vertigo and I’m extremely tired and dizzy which is difficult. It is shocking to hear that so many people are also living with different conditions on top of their heart condition like me.”

The BHF funds research into a range of interconnected conditions including heart attacks, stroke, vascular dementia and diabetes. To find out more and help us keep hearts beating and blood flowing, visit:

www.bhf.org.uk/connections [1]