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Doctors rushing down a hospital hallway with a patient in a bed suffering from a cardiac arrest

How inequalities impact cardiovascular health

We bring together statistics and research detailing the impact of inequalities on cardiovascular health. 

Everybody should have access to the best available treatment and care. But too often they do not. 

We are committed to better understanding the inequalities that we know exist, so that we can improve our efforts to close the gaps.

Our 2025 report Bridging Hearts considers how deprivation, sex and ethnicity can impact people’s cardiovascular health in the UK.BHF’s Health Insights and Policy and Public Affairs teams have published a report which considers how level of deprivation, sex and ethnicity can impact a person’s cardiovascular health.

What the research shows

When compared to the least deprived areas, the most deprived areas in England have:

Heart icon with a red outline and white centre

higher death rates from cardiovascular disease

Illustrated outline of a person with a heart outlined

lower uptake of cardiac rehabilitation

An icon of an ambulance outlined in red

higher hospital admissions rates for emergency care