CORONARY HEART DISEASE: THE FACTS

• Every two minutes in the UK someone has a heart attack
• Nearly 2.6 million people have coronary heart disease (CHD)
• In 2003, over 122,000 women died from heart and circulatory disease in the UK (46,000 more than died from cancer)

The cost to the NHS
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) cost the health care system in the UK around £14,750 million in 2003. This represents a cost per capita of just under £250. The cost of hospital care for people who have CVD accounted for about 76% of these costs (drugs and the dispensing of them, about 18%).

CHD cost the health care system in the UK around £3,500 million in 2003. This represents a cost per capita of just under £60. The cost of hospital care for people who have CHD accounted for about 79% of these costs (drugs and the dispensing them, about 16%).

Non-health care costs
Looking only at the cost of CVD to the health care system grossly underestimates the total cost of CVD in the UK. Production losses from death and illness in those of working age and from the informal care of people with the disease contribute greatly to the overall financial burden.

In 2003, production losses due to mortality and morbidity associated with CVD cost the UK over £6,200 million, with around 60% of this cost (£3,677 million) due to death and 40% (£2,556 million) due to illness in those of working age.  The cost of informal care for people with CVD in the UK was over £4,800 million in 2003.

In 2003, production losses due to mortality and morbidity associated with CHD cost the UK over £3,100 million, with around 70% of this cost (£2,173 million) due to death and 30% (£961 million) due to illness in those of working age. The cost of informal care for people with CHD in the UK was around £1,250 million in 2003.

Total costs
Overall CVD is estimated to cost the UK economy just under £26 billion a year.
This represents an overall cost per capita of £434. Of the total cost of CVD to the UK, around 57% is due to direct health care costs, 24% to productivity losses and 19% to the informal care of people with CVD.

Overall CHD is estimated to cost the UK economy over £7.9 billion a year. This represents a cost per capita of £133. Of the total cost of CHD to the UK, around 45% is due to direct health care costs, 40% to productivity losses, and 16% to the informal care of people with CHD.

Ref: www.heartstats.org

 Physical inactivity, obesity and diabetes are major risk factors for CHD

• Between two-thirds and three quarters of adults do less than the recommended 30 minutes of activity five times a week.
• Levels of obesity and diabetes are increasing rapidly.
• In England, obesity has increased by 50% in adults in the past decade, and diabetes has doubled in men and increased by 80% in women since 1991.

Ref: www.bhf.org.uk

Number of CHD deaths by Local Authority 2000 - 2002 (males and females under 75 years)

Number of Acute Myocardial Infarctions Hospital Admissions by Local Authority 2000/2001 - 2002/2003 (males and females under 75 years).

Number of CHD (including all planned, all causes) Hospital Admissions by Local Authority 2000/2001 - 2002/2003 (males and females under 75 years).

Ref: British Heart Foundation

Life expectancy of babies born between 2002 - 2004

Ref: www.statistics.gov.uk

SMOKING - THE FACTS

Every year in Greater Merseyside around 3,500 people die from smoking-related causes.
Ref: Tobacco Control Research Bulletin. Issue 1, October 2004.

This figure includes 718 premature deaths that could be prevented if people didn't smoke.
Ref: Tobacco Control Research Bulletin. Issue 1, October 2004. www.cph.org.uk

Secondhand smoke can increase the risk of contracting lung cancer or heart disease by a quarter.  Ref: Department of Heath. Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH). Secondhand Smoke: review of evidence since 1998. November 2004.
Ref: www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/scoth/index.htm

86% of Merseyside residents would prefer public places to be smoke free.
Ref: www.bigsmokedebate.com/northwest

Being in a room with a smoker exposes you to more than 4,000 chemicals including 60 known cancer-causing substances.
Ref:  www.4000reasons.org.uk

Smoking Prevalence
In November 2004 the Health Development Agency reported that the smoking prevalence in Merseyside was over 31%¹, which is higher than prevalence for the rest of England (27%)

In seven out of the nine Merseyside PCT areas, prevalence is greater than 30% and in one area this figure reaches 40%. Evidence from other countries shows that going smoke free supports smokers to stop².

Estimated Smoking Prevalence Greater Merseyside PCTs

Source: The Smoking Epidemic in England: Health Development Agency 2005. Published on  their website at www.hda.nhs.uk

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