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Background information
Every year there are an estimated 280,000 heart attacks in the UK - that's one every 2 minutes.
Less than half of those who have a heart attack die within 28 days.
Coronary Heart Disease is the most common cause of premature death.
About 28,000 coronary artery by-pass grafts are carried out each year - a 5-fold increase since 1980.
The number of coronary angioplasties has also increased, with 14,000 now being carried out annually.
Around 2.6 million people are currently suffering from coronary heart disease.
(British Heart Foundation, 2002)
In 2000, over 120,000 people died from coronary heart disease. That's around 330 deaths every day.
(Office for National Statistics, 2001)
Studies have indicated that two-thirds of men suffering their first heart attack will survive for a minimum of 5 years.
( Munich Re, 2002)
Definition
The death of a portion of heart muscle, due to inadequate blood supply, that has resulted in all of the following evidence of acute myocardial infarction:
- new characteristic electrocardiographic changes;
- the characteristic rise of cardiac enzymes, troponins or other biochemical markers;
where all of the above shows a definite acute myocardial infarction. Other acute coronary syndromes, including but not limited to angina, are not covered under this definition.
What does this mean?
The body needs oxygen to survive and it receives this from the blood. The heart is effectively a pump, which ensures that oxygenated blood circulates through the body to where it is needed.
The heart itself also needs oxygen to continue to work effectively. If the supply of oxygen to the heart is cut off then a portion of the heart muscle is damaged. This can be caused by the blockage of a coronary artery.
Arteries can become blocked by fatty material or by blood clots. Damage to the heart muscle usually causes severe pain and results in an increase in cardiac enzymes and the introduction of troponins, which are released into the blood.
A heart attack will also result in electrocardiograph changes. Angina produces similar symptoms to an actual heart attack, but is caused by a reduction in the supply of blood to the heart rather than a complete blockage. Heart muscle does not die as a result.
Angina may be an early indication that a future heart attack is likely. Angina is not covered.
17 August 2007 16:48:14
Women who have contracted the sexually transmitted disease Human Papillomavirus (HPV) may be unaware of their need to acquire life insurance or critical illness cover, it has been revealed.
Research published in the British Journal of Cancer this week found that 97.5 per cent of the 1,600 women surveyed were unaware that cervical cancer could be caused by HPV.
With HPV the most common STI in the UK, affecting around 80 per cent of sexually active women at some point in their lifetime, the research has highlighted the importance of raising awareness.
Though only a few strains of HPV can cause cervical cancer, a link with HPV is found in almost all cases of the disease.
Jenni Macdougall, health information manager for Cancer Research UK said that the introduction of vaccines to combat the most dangerous HPV was an important step forward.
"Now that vaccines against Human Papillomavirus (HPV) have been developed, it's essential that public information keeps pace. HPV causes most cases of cervical cancer, yet this research shows few women in the UK realise this."
She added: "The UK's cervical screening programme saves the lives of thousands of women each year.
"Cancer Research UK's Screening Matters campaign encourages people to go for screening when invited, and to encourage friends and family to do the same."
Some 1,200 UK women are killed by cervical cancer every year.
06 December 2007 10:37:52
People who had low birth weights could be prone to poor mental health, it has emerged.
Researchers at the University of Alberta studied information from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development, which tracked more than 4,600 people born in Great Britain in 1946 for symptoms of anxiety and depression over a 40-year period.
They found that even individuals suffering from mild or moderate symptoms of depression or anxiety during their lifetime turned out to have been smaller babies than those with stronger mental health.
"It suggests a dose-response relationship; as birth weight progressively decreases, it's more likely that an individual will suffer from mood disorders later in life," remarked lead author Ian Colman.
Along with his colleagues at the University of Cambridge and University College London, Dr Colman discovered that people who had worse mental health throughout their lives had also reached developmental milestones – such as standing and walking for the first time - later in life.
The researchers concluded that better care ought to be taken of pregnant women as low birth weight indicates stress in the womb, leading to fewer nutrients reaching an unborn baby.
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09 June 2008 17:30:34
Identification and management of a potentially fatal condition could be helped by the introduction of guidelines to assist with diagnosis and care for those with the disease.
The Quality Improvement Scotland’s Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (Sign) has provided healthcare professionals with recommendations for best practice in the management of Meningitis.
Jane Blewitt, the education and training manager at the Meningitis Trust, noted that the new guidelines will not only help doctors.
Ms Blewitt said the guidelines will also: "Benefit parents, carers and anyone else involved in the diagnosis and management of the disease."
It is the first time Sign has issued universal guidelines and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) is now working on similar guidelines for the UK.
Meningitis is a serious condition that can kill a previously healthy person in a matter of hours. One in ten people who get meningitis and septicaemia dies and others are often left with disabilities.
