Intended for UK HCPs and ORDMs only.

Cardiovascular
Disease

The scale of the problem

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the world¹

25% of all deaths in the UK are caused by CVD²

Cardiovascular Disease Facts²

7.6 million people in the UK are living with heart and circulatory diseases
More than half of the UK population will get a heart or circulatory condition in their lifetime
Around twice as many people in the UK are living with heart or circulatory diseases than with cancer or Alzheimer’s disease combined

Coronary heart disease (CHD)

CHD is the most common type of heart and circulatory disease.

Top 5 causes of death in the UK

COVID-19 (74,031)

Alzheimer’s/dementia (69,178)

CHD (65,579)

Stroke (33,714)

Lung cancer (33,166)

Number of UK deaths

Heart Attack

In the UK, a patient suffering a heart attack is admitted to hospital every 5 minutes
In the UK, 7 out of 10 people survive a heart attack
Around 1.4 million people in the UK have survived a heart attack

Stroke (Cerebrovascular disease (CBVD))

Every 5 minutes in the UK, someone will suffer a stroke
Around 1.4 million people in the UK have survived a stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
Stroke is the single biggest cause of severe disability in the UK

Multiple risk factors

CVD Risk Factors²

High Blood Pressure

Hypertension is the leading modifiable risk factor for heart and circulatory disease in the UK
An estimated 28% of adults in the UK have hypertension
Around 50% of heart attacks and strokes are associated with hypertension

Diabetes

Over 4 million adults in the UK have been diagnosed with diabetes
850,000 people in the UK are thought to have undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes
In the UK, one third of adults with diabetes die from a heart or circulatory disease

High Cholesterol

High levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are associated with 1 in 4 heart or circulatory disease deaths in the UK
Close to half of UK adults are thought to have cholesterol levels above national guidelines
7-8 million UK adults currently take lipid lowering drugs such as statins

Smoking

Around 1 in 8 adults in the UK are smokers
It is estimated that 15,000 deaths a year in the UK from heart and circulatory diseases are attributable to smoking
80,000 deaths a year are thought to be due to smoking related causes

Overweight

Around 38% of adults in the UK have a body mass index (BMI) defined as overweight
Around 26% of adults in the UK have obesity
Approximately 1 in 6 heart and circulatory disease deaths in the UK are associated with a high BMI

Diet & Exercise

Only a quarter of UK adults consume the recommended minimum 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day
Around 25% of UK adults exceed the national guidelines for weekly alcohol intake
Approximately 35% of UK adults do not achieve recommended levels of physical activity each week

High levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol can increase risk of CVD³

NICE recommends statins in treating high levels of non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol⁴

Following a cardiac event, patients are advised to take a statin⁵

Heart Attacks Prevented

Strokes Prevented

NICE revised guidelines* on statins may have prevented 28,000 more heart attacks and 16,000 more strokes a year in the UK⁶

* Preventative treatment for CVD should be halved from a 20% risk of developing disease over 10 years to a 10% risk

NICE recommendations for wider use of statins for prevention of CVD

At a glance

Published July 2014, revised Sept 2016, next revision expected 2023

GPs should offer atorvastatin 20mg for the primary prevention of CVD to people who have a 10% or greater risk of developing CVD within the next 10 years
Patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes should be offered 20mg atorvastatin for primary prevention of CVD
Patients with established CVD may need to be offered 80mg atorvastatin
GPs should discuss the benefits of changes to lifestyle with patients before initiating treatment with statins
The risk of developing CVD should be estimated by the QRISK2 assessment tool
NICE does not believe that the revised guidance increases workload for GPs

Adapted from 6

Cardiovascular
Disease