BHF comment
Thousands of excess deaths from cardiovascular disease during the coronavirus pandemic
A new study has identified 2085 excess deaths in England and Wales due to heart disease and stroke during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Excess deaths are the number of deaths above what is normally expected – and the figure relates to the period from 2 March to 30 June, 2020.
The scientists believe the excess deaths were caused by people not seeking emergency hospital treatment for a heart attack or other acute cardiovascular illness requiring urgent medical attention, either because they were afraid of contracting COVID-19 or were not referred for treatment.
A sharp rise in deaths
Over the same period, there was a sharp rise in the proportion of people who died at home or in a care home from acute cardiovascular diseases.
Chris Gale, Professor Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Leeds, said: “It is entirely plausible that a number of deaths could have been prevented if people had attended hospital quickly when they began to experience their heart attack or stroke.
Our Associate Medical Director, Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, said: "We are now seeing the tragic consequences of the pandemic on people with heart and circulatory diseases. Delays in people seeking care and a reduced access to cardiovascular care, likely contributed to these 2000 unexpected deaths. We need to restore and maintain care for heart and circulatory disease patients as a priority.”
Call 999 immediately
“As cases rise again, it remains particularly important that people don't let fear of catching coronavirus put them off seeking medical help. The NHS has systems in place to provide safe and urgent care for those who need it. If you think you are having a heart attack or stroke call 999 immediately - every minute matters and prompt treatment saves lives. People living with existing heart conditions, like heart failure, must also be able to access care immediately if their condition worsens.”
The findings, based on an analysis of the information contained on death certificates, are published in the journal Heart.
The investigation was carried out by a team of data scientists and clinicians, led by academics at the University of Leeds. The other collaborators were from Keele University, NHS Digital, the Office for National Statistics, Barts Health NHS Trust, and University College London.