Heart health across Leicestershire is getting worse, and premature deaths are on the rise, a charity has warned. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) said that statistics from the past five

years presented a “worrying decline”. Across Leicestershire as a whole, including the city, cardiovascular deaths in working-age adults – ages 20 to 64 – has increased by 20 per cent between

2019 and 2023, the charity said. In 2023, there were 310 such deaths, an average of around six a week. BHF said its statistics further showed that, nationally, heart health had “declined

more quickly at the start of the 2020s than in any other decade for over 50 years”. However, the local integrated care board (ICB), which is responsible for coordinating Leicestershire’s NHS

increase in Covid-related cardiac illness”. In the years since, “more patients are being tested for heart failure and atrial fibrillation, which has led to an increase in diagnoses”,

improving outcomes, the ICB added. The charity has attributed the increase to “an increasingly unhealthy population, widening health inequalities, Covid-19 [and] unprecedented pressure on

the NHS. It also believes there has been “a lack of meaningful action over the last decade to address many of the causes of heart disease and stroke, such as obesity”. Between 2020 and 2024,

there was also an increase in the number of people locally being diagnosed with heart failure and atrial fibrillation – a common heart rhythm disorder where heart beats are irregular and

often rapid, which can increase the risk of strokes. In Leicester city, these conditions went from 3,344 and 4,530 diagnoses respectively in 2020 to 4,139 and 4,699 diagnoses respectively.

In Leicestershire, the increases went from 8,385 and 17,885 diagnoses to 10,979 and 19,287. The number of people with diabetes – which BHF said was a major risk factor for cardiovascular

disease – also saw a jump between 2020 and 2024. This went from 31,057 people to 36,939 in the city, and from 42,127 to 47,902 in the county. However, a spokeswoman for Leicester City

Council told LeicestershireLive that the statistics did not take into account the increase in local population over those years. When looked at as a proportion of the population, the rate of

heart failure in the city is 0.1 per cent higher in the year to the end of March 2024 than it was for the year to the end of March 2020, and the rate of atrial fibrillation actually

decreased, the spokeswoman added. When it comes to diabetes, the council’s own statistics show a rate increase from 9.6 per cent of the population to 10.3 per cent between 2020 and 2024. On

deaths, the spokeswoman said 2019 was a “year of unusually low cardiovascular deaths”, with the year-on-year changes generally “statistically insignificant”. Increased awareness and testing

could also have contributed to the increase in diagnoses, she added. The spokeswoman said that that did not mean that the council was complacent when it came to heart health for residents,

however. She said: “[We] are determined to help improve health outcomes for people in Leicester. "As well as NHS health checks for over-40s and a pilot programme offering blood pressure

testing to people at risk of hypertension, we have physical activity programmes, healthy weight initiatives and a food strategy aimed at increasing everyone’s access to healthy and

sustainable food. We also offer drug and alcohol treatment and support, plus the Live Well stop smoking service, to help people make changes that will reduce their risks of developing

cardiovascular disease. “We agree with the BHF that these trends are represented across most of the UK, and we will continue to work closely with our partners – such as the NHS, charities

and community organisations – to deliver local programmes aimed at improving heart health.” The BHF is calling for a “research revolution” when it comes to tackling heart conditions. It

wants to see more investment in that research and more support for UK health services to “radically improve care”. Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive at the BHF, said: “It’s been the

worst start to a decade for heart health UK-wide for half a century, but we’re entering an era of immense scientific opportunity that can turn this tide. By driving a research revolution, we

can reverse this worrying trend and save more lives than ever before. The BHF's new strategy will be key to this, and the next step for us as we aim to save many more families the

heartbreak of losing loved ones far too soon.” Dr Arshad M Khalid, cardiology and long-term transformation lead for the ICB, said: “Poor heart health is usually a result of a range of

factors, including social and environmental, which are beyond the scope of the NHS. However, the decline in heart health since 2020 can be partly attributed to the Covid pandemic, which

caused an increase in covid-related cardiac illness. During this time health services were also fully focussed on treating acute illness and there was an inevitable reduction in preventative

healthcare. “Following the pandemic, more patients are being tested for heart failure and atrial fibrillation, which has led to an increase in diagnoses. I am really proud that as a result,

we can treat more patients and improve their health outcomes. Those with heart failure receive additional medication that will improve their long-term prognosis by many years, as well as

their quality of life. Patients with atrial fibrillation receive life-altering anticoagulation, which helps prevent strokes. “Locally, we are also carrying out targeted community testing to

seek out new cases. We are also prioritising increasing diagnosis of more cases of diabetes, so that the illness is not left untreated.” A spokesman for Leicestershire County Council said:

“While Leicestershire has seen a small increase in deaths from heart disease over recent years, the general trend is a decline since 2001. The most common causes of heart disease are ones

that can be managed through changes to your lifestyle such as giving up smoking, eating a healthy diet, being more physically active and reducing alcohol intake. Public Health services in

Leicestershire are available to help prevent and reduce the risk from the key causes of heart disease.”