Evidence in Practice
The Public Health England (PHE) action plan for 2017-181 outlined the scale of the cardiovascular disease (CVD) issue we face here in the UK. Affecting around 7 million people, CVD remains a significant cause of disability and death. In England, we know that it is responsible for one in four premature deaths and over a quarter of all deaths, which not only affect the individual but also their families, and impact the wider community too. Healthcare costs associated with CVD are estimated at £8.96 billion and non-healthcare costs at about £4.04 billion. 2 A recent report discusses the evidence for the success of population-based CVD prevention programmes in reducing the burden of illness for individuals and society.
The NHS Health Check is a national programme offering a health check-up every five years to adults in England aged 40 to 74 without a pre-existing cardiovascular condition. One of the largest prevention programmes of its type in the world, the programme is designed to help prevent and detect early signs of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, type 2 diabetes and dementia. 1 This article reviews the evidence that has accumulated since the programme was established.
Stories in this Evidence in Practice include:
- Health survey for England, 2016: The good and the bad news
- Healthy lifestyle changes have a long-term benefit for type 2 diabetes prevention
- Weight loss diets reduce the risk of premature death for people with obesity
- Very low calorie diet can achieve a remission of Type 2 Diabetes
- Dash diet plus sodium reduction lowers systolic blood pressure
- Long-term follow-up underscores benefits of lowering LDL-C in CVD primary prevention
- Blood pressure self-monitoring is more effective with professional support
- AF and other chronic conditions = higher risk of death
- Clinical trials underestimate the real-world impact of Atherosclerotic CVD
- The burden of heart failure continues to rise in the UK