UK adults ignore symptoms of UK’s number killer

SIGNS and symptoms of the UK’s number one killer are going unchecked, reveals new research.

The research found that 1.7m UK Adults have left potential symptoms of cardiovascular disease unchecked, despite this being the UK’s number one cause of death and the most common cause of heart attacks.

The study of 2,000 UK adults, commissioned by Bluecrest Health Screening, and published in The UK Health Gap Report, questioned respondents about their awareness of cardiovascular disease. The research revealed that only 1 in 4 UK adults make conscious decisions about their health and lifestyle to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Just 13% of respondents surveyed said they knew all the signs and symptoms of cardiovascular disease to look out for, such as; pain or pressure in the chest, shortness of breath, cold sweats, nausea and fatigue.

20% said they were unaware of what can increase an individual’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Increasing risk factors include; lack of exercise, unhealthy eating, smoking, age and family history.

Worryingly, the study highlighted that tests and screening rates for this common killer were shockingly low – 90% of respondents said they have never been tested for signs of cardiovascular disease, with 76% of those aged 65 and over not being tested.

A larger number 94% stated that they have never been screened to assess their level of risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Dr Josh Cullimore, GP advisor at Bluecrest Health Screening comments: “It’s clear from the research that awareness and understanding of cardiovascular disease is worryingly low. This lack of understanding may attribute to heart and circulatory diseases causing more than 28% of deaths in the UK*.

The British Heart Foundation estimates there are around 7.4 million people living with heart and circulatory disease in the UK – 3.9 million men and 3.5 million women. To put this into perspective the number of people living with this is twice as many in the UK currently living with cancer and Alzheimer’s disease combined.

“It’s important that UK adults take time to properly understand the potential signs or symptoms of cardiovascular disease and if they occur, proactively seek medical assistance to investigate and test for heart and circulatory diseases.

Peter Blencowe, managing director at Bluecrest Health Screening continues: “As a nation, we need to better educate ourselves about the risks (both genetic and lifestyle-related) of developing such serious diseases.

“By educating ourselves, proactively managing our health and understanding what can increase our risk of developing cardiovascular disease, we can hopefully work towards reducing the number of people potentially living with heart and circulatory problems.”

Bluecrest Health Screening provides affordable and convenient health screenings to both private individuals and corporates across the UK and Ireland. It aims to help people take control of their health by empowering consumers with clear knowledge about their current health status.