BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION RELEASE: Mind the Knowledge Gap: Heart and Circulatory Disease Is the Illness Most Think Will Never Happen to Them

People in the UK severely underestimate the scale and seriousness of heart and circulatory diseases, according to new figures by the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

While it is estimated that around half of people will get a heart or circulatory condition during their lifetime, almost a quarter (23%) of those surveyed thought the likelihood was only one in 10, while nearly a fifth (19%) thought the chance was just 1 in 50. Only 3% of respondents knew the correct answer.

Across the generations, millennials (31%) are most likely to think they will ever be affected by heart and circulatory diseases, whereas baby boomers are the least likely (18%). And despite heart and circulatory conditions affecting men and women almost equally, only 25% of women thought they could be at risk compared to 30% of men.

These perceptions stand in stark contrast to the fact that there are currently around 7.6 million people living with a heart or circulatory disease.

Worryingly, the survey also found confusion among members of the public about the seriousness of a heart attack and cardiac arrest. While both are life-threatening emergencies that require immediate medical treatment, only 67% of respondents would call 999 for an ambulance if they thought a person was having a heart attack, while only 48% of people considered a cardiac arrest a medical emergency.

The BHF released the figures to coincide with the launch of its new Spotlight campaign that aims to shine a light on heart and circulatory diseases during September. The charity says that these conditions can go undiagnosed for too long and that they aren’t discovered until something goes wrong, or is tragically too late.