Map reveals heart disease hotspots where you’re more likely to die young – are you at risk?

PEOPLE in Blackpool are three times as likely to die young from heart disease than those living in the wealthiest part of England, a charity has warned.

Analysis by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) shows the seaside resort has an under-75 death rate of 133 per 100,000, compared with just 40 in Hart, Hampshire – the least deprived area of the country.

Manchester (125), Barking and Dagenham in East London (124), Nottingham (120) and Hull (118) also appeared on the ‘heart disease hotspot’ list.

Among the top 10 least deprived local authorities where early mortality are low are Waverley in Surrey (47), Mid Sussex (48), Elmbridge in Surrey (49) and St Albans in Hertfordshire (50).

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive at the BHF, said: “It is shameful in this day and age that someone can be at much greater risk of dying young from cardiovascular disease just because of where they live and how much money they have.

“We’re in the grip of a historic heart crisis. Without urgent action, the heart health gap between the richest and poorest will continue to grow even wider.

“More people will lose loved ones to heart disease through no fault of their own.

“This isn’t a problem that can be solved overnight, but we can start making progress if politicians make heart disease a key health priority.

“This could save countless lives, helping to keep families together for longer in every community.”

The charity said more research is needed to fully understand the trend, but it was likely connected to poverty, pollution, obesity, food choices, Covid and ongoing pressure on the NHS.

The latest figures reveal that premature deaths from heart disease reached the highest level in a decade in 2022 – an average of 79 per 100,000 people.

The 10 per cent most deprived areas had a death rate of 109 per 100,000, compared with 50 in the wealthiest 10 per cent.

This increased from 94 per 100,000 in the most deprived areas and 45 per 100,000 in the least deprived in 2019.

It means today, Brits living in the 10 poorest areas of England are twice as likely to die from cardiovascular conditions like heart attacks before turning 75 than people in the 10 wealthiest neighbourhoods.

Men living in the most deprived areas saw the biggest increase in premature deaths, rising from 129 per 100,000 to 153.

This is nearly double the nation’s average.

The BHF says immediate action is needed to stop the health divide between rich and poor from widening.

This includes: the better prevention of heart disease and stroke, the prioritisation of NHS heart care, and the supercharging of cardiovascular research to unlock groundbreaking new treatments and cures.

Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, associate medical director at the BHF, said: “We’ve known for a long time that there’s a well-established link between heart health and wealth, yet too many lives are still being lost far too young to heart disease due to this injustice.

“People living in the poorest areas can face poverty, pollution, fewer healthy, accessible and affordable food choices, as well as poorer working and living conditions.

“Meanwhile, people from the wealthiest areas tend to have better outcomes and better access to healthy lifestyles.

“The gap in heart health between rich and poor is now widening at an alarming rate, and it’s happening at a time when the NHS is already struggling to tackle an enormous backlog of time-critical heart care.

“Urgent intervention is long overdue to prevent heart disease happening in the first place and to make heart care better, faster and fairer for everyone.”

In January 2023, the government announced a Major Conditions Strategy to tackle the biggest drivers of ill health and early death in England, including cardiovascular disease.

It is due to be published in full later this year.

An interim report published by the Department of Health and Social Care last summer  “made clear the scale and urgency” of the rising tide of cardiovascular disease in the UK.