World Heart Day: A reflection on the killer disease
Although largely preventable, heart diseases remain one of the leading causes of death in the world, according to studies. This World Heart Day, Samuel Hollis, United Kingdom Business Unit Head, Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK reflects on and puts to context the alarming statistics surrounding the killer disease.
Every year, World Heart Day presents an opportune moment to reflect on the leading cause of death in our global community1 – cardiovascular disease (CVD). To put some rather alarming statistics into context, heart and circulatory diseases cause one death every three minutes in the UK.2 The fact that these are largely preventable3 only adds to the gravity of the situation.
For those who have had a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, hospital data shows that nearly half of this community will experience another event, on average, within 114 days.4
The challenge that CVD presents to our nation is vast and often seen as insurmountable. It is, however, reassuring to see progress has been made in this space. The NHS Long Term Plan is an example of a large-scale measure being taken to bring about earlier detection and treatment of CVD, with an aim of preventing over 150,000 cardiovascular events by 2029.5
We have also seen promising incentives in primary care to support people who have suffered a cardiovascular event. The release of new Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) targets6 is a significant step in the secondary prevention of heart attacks, strokes and other CVD events, offering patients and their healthcare professionals well-defined cholesterol targets to focus on.
Nevertheless, we are privileged with a richness of datasets in the UK, and these show that we are far from an ideal scenario. Recent CVDPREVENT data reveals that 76% of patients who have had a cardiovascular event are not hitting their cholesterol targets.7 A 2023 audit conducted by HEART UK – the UK’s cholesterol charity – also indicates more than half of the UK health system is not addressing cholesterol as a priority,8 hence its continued force as a ‘silent killer’.
Exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we also continue to see discrepancies in people’s access to high-quality care across the UK.9 Black and South Asian communities in particular have been shown to be at the highest risk of cardiovascular disease, yet they are frequently lost in the system to follow-up care.10
So how do we collectively support the NHS in achieving the goals outlined in these ambitious but vital plans? I firmly believe the answer lies within a combination of innovation and partnerships.
At Novartis UK, our focus lies in collaborating with like-minded partners that are committed to addressing this huge unmet need. In order to tackle such an immense health crisis, it is important for individuals impacted by CVD to feel empowered in seeking optimal care. In the spirit of collaboration, we have therefore been working closely with HEART UK to help people ‘Get Back in the Game’ and take steps to try to minimise their risk of another event.11 This ongoing campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of cholesterol testing and management, with the goal of reducing the risk of secondary CVD events. The results to date are incredibly encouraging – anecdotal feedback, engagement with campaign activities, national survey results, and a review of social media conversations all show an increase in awareness in terms of reducing the risk of a second CVD event.
We have also responded to NHS plans to tackle CVD with a collaboration with NHS England that supports them in achieving our shared vision to optimise the lipid management care pathway. Managing high cholesterol effectively is key to improving the overall health of our population, and we remain committed to working collaboratively to reduce the burden that CVD imposes on our society. Through our wide-reaching partnerships, we have been able to play our small part in achieving some big health ambitions.
This World Heart Day, I acknowledge the progress made over the past 12 months and hope the following year brings further positive change for the millions impacted by the devastating effects of CVD. At Novartis, we will continue striving for collaboration within our wider health ecosystem and driving bold innovation to address the health needs of our nation. It is my sincere hope that, at the next World Heart Day milestone, the data shows more promising outcomes for the impact of CVD.
References
1 World Health Organization. Cardiovascular diseases. Available at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/cardiovascular-diseases#tab=tab_1 (Last accessed: September 2023).
2 British Heart Foundation. Facts and figures. Available at: https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/contact-the-press-office/facts-and-figures (Last accessed: September 2023).
3 The King’s Fund. Cardiovascular disease in England: supporting leaders to take actions. Available at: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/cardiovascular-disease-england (Last accessed: September 2023).
4 Novartis Data on File. FUSE MLR ID 176447 (UK_DoF_CV001).
5 NHS England. Cardiovascular disease (CVD). Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/clinical-policy/cvd/ (Last accessed: September 2023).
6 NHS England. Quality and Outcomes Framework guidance for 2023/24. Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PRN00289-quality-and-outcomes-framework-guidance-for-2023-24.pdf (Last accessed: September 2023).
7 CVDPREVENT. Third Annual Audit Report, for the audit period up to March 2022. Available at: https://www.hqip.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ref-376-CVDPREVENT-Third-Annual-Audit-Report.pdf (Last accessed: September 2023).
8 HEART UK. Courtesy of Jules Payne, Chief Executive Officer at HEART UK.
9 The King’s Fund. Tackling cardiovascular disease: why the urgency? Available at: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/blog/2022/10/tackling-cardiovascular-disease-why-urgency#:~:text=Moreover%2C%20Covid%2D19%20has%20significantly,society%20and%20loss%20of%20productivity. (Last accessed: September 2023).
10 Ho FK, et al. BMC Medicine. 2022;20(149).
11 HEART UK and Novartis. Get Back in the Game. Available at: https://www.heartuk.org.uk/Getbackinthegame/ (Last accessed: September 2023).
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