You have a good heart, you would want to help if a colleague, friend or family member needed your help in a medical emergency situation. But do you have the relevant knowledge, skills and are you up to date with the latest guidelines and best practice? The information and statistics below illustrate it is highly likely that we will all be in a position at some stage where our help could be required - it could be at the workplace, it could be whilst out socially, it could unfortunately be whilst at home.
MI Team Training offer various First Aid courses which will give you the knowledge to identify an issue and the practical skills to address it. Our courses will build your confidence and ensure you have the latest guidance to call upon should you need it.
This blog focuses on Heart and Circulatory conditions - our courses will cover this area and many more. We hope you find the information below of interest.
There are 7.4 million people living in the UK with heart and circulatory diseases. Sadly 27% of all deaths are related to heart and circulatory disease - that's an average of 460 people per day or one death every three minutes
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Heart and circulatory disease is a term which includes all diseases of the heart and circulatory system and includes everything from inherited conditions to those developed later in life.
Coronary Heart Disease is the most common condition, occurring when coronary arteries become narrowed by a build up of atheroma - a fatty material. In the UK 1 in 7 men & 1 in 12 women die from Coronary Heart Disease. There are 2.3 million people living with CHD in the UK and death rates are highest in Scotland and the North of England.
A Heart Attack (Myorcardial Infarction) is the cause of more than 100,000 hospital admissions each year - that's 1 every 5 minutes. In the 1960's more than 7 out of 10 attacks were fatal but today at least 7 out of every 10 people survive and it is estimated that around 1.4 million people alive in the UK today have survived a Heart Attack.
A major cause of strokes and one of the most common forms of abnormal heart rhythm is Atrial Fibrillation. Around 1.4 million people in the UK have been diagnosed and alarmingly it is estimated that more than 200,000 could be living undiagnosed. Reports suggest that 1 in 6 people are not treated effectively when confirmed as having Atrial Fibrillation.
Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest is a critical medical emergency. There are more than 30,000 cases every year and the survival rate is just 1 in 10.
Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by up to 10%.
Performing CPR can more than double the chances of survival in some cases.
Heart Failure occurs when the heart is not pumping blood around the body as well as it should. More than 650,000 people in the UK are on their GP's heart failure register. Around 80% of diagnoses are made in hospital despite 40% of patients having symptoms that should have triggered an earlier assessment.
There are many different risk factors that increase the likelihood of you developing heart and circulatory diseases.
High Blood Pressure - it is estimated 15 million adults in the UK have HBP with more than half of them not receiving treatment.
Diabetes - Around 4.7 million people are living with diabetes in the UK, estimations suggest as many as 750,000 could be living with Type 2 and not be aware.
High Blood Cholestorol - Around 7-8 million adults in the UK are currently taking lipid-lowering drugs such as statins.
Other Risk Factors:
Age, Gender, Mental Health, Family History & Ethnicity.
Lifestyle Risk Factors:
Smoking - At least 1 in 7 adults smoke cigarettes - that's around 8 million adults.
Overweight/Obesity - Around 27% of adults in the UK are obese (BMI 30+) and estimations suggest around 29% of children are either overweight or obese.
Diet & Exercise - You can reduce your risk of developing heart and circulatory disease by as much as 35% by being more active.
(Statistics - British Heart Foundation July 2020)