The Evidence
Once early heart disease - or a high risk of disease - is identified, the key thing is to make sure we are benefiting from the right treatment. Even after an event like a heart attack or stroke, there is a lot we can do to treat the underlying condition and try to prevent a second event.
UCLPartners, a health innovation partnership based around London, has developed a tool called Size of the Prize. This estimates the benefits of optimising the treatment of high blood pressure, using local data. The tool shows how many heart attacks and strokes could be prevented over the next 3 years, and how much money could be saved, if we increase the percentage of people with high blood pressure whose treatment keeps their blood pressure in the normal range. For Devon for example, if we optimise treatment for 80% of people with high blood pressure, this could prevent 158 heart attacks and 235 strokes. It could also save up to £4.5 million.
The South West Academic Health Sciences Network (AHSN) is working with primary care, public health and NHS organisations in Devon to increase substantially the numbers of people with well controlled blood pressure. They work closely with GP practices to help identify people on their registers who could benefit from improved treatment. Over 40 practices in Devon have taken part so far. Some of our practices in the Bay have been trialling this approach and are already seeing positive improvements for patients.
The AHSN are also working with local GP practices, Torbay and South Devon Hospital, Public Health and other partners on a lipid project to improve the treatment pathway for people with high cholesterol levels, including those with familial high cholesterol which can result in very high levels of cholesterol in the blood. Early effective treatment can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, heart attacks and stroke.
Optimising treatment also includes the non-medical aspects like keeping physically active, stopping smoking and eating healthily. Even after a cardiac event these can have a real impact on our future risk.
And something we have seen very clearly from groups like Torbay Happy Hearts is the importance of holistic, community-based peer support that promotes not just heart health but all-round physical and mental health. It is the ‘social foundation’ of heart health. This is something we look at in more detail in the final section below. How do we promote a heart healthy community?
Watch the below video of Lorraine Lloyd who runs the Happy Hearts group
References
- Size of the Prize for high blood pressure (uclpartners.com)
- Blood Pressure Optimisation - The South West Academic Health Science Network (SWAHSN)