Tag Archives: CVD

CVD prevention past and present Dr Shahed Ahmad from NHS England addresses the conference The scale of CVD deaths, currently 136,000 per year in the UK1 and similar in number to the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, was highlighted by Dr Shahed Ahmad (NHS England) in his role as National Clinical Director for CVD. He emphasised the importance of tackling CVD as if it were a pandemic. Rather than needing to create vaccines, he said we already have the necessary therapeutics to reduce CVD but these need robust application to our populations. He signposted the CVDPREVENT website2 with its wealth of open access primary care data on metrics, su

Leading experts treating COVID-19 patients now provide advice on managing cardiovascular disease during the pandemic. New European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidance provides healthcare professionals with the best available knowledge, based on practical experience, on how to diagnose and manage cardiovascular conditions in COVID-19 patients, treat the coronavirus infection, and organise and prioritise care. It will be updated as more evidence is gathered. The authors stress that document is not a guideline but rather a guidance document. The recommendations are the result of observations and personal experience from health care providers at

The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is amplified among the South Asian population in the UK, with estimates suggesting a two- to fourfold increase in risk. Why is this? Hanif and Susarala review putative reasons why South Asian people represent at least 15% of the population of people with diabetes in this country, and who also carry higher microvascular complication rates than their European counterparts. Although the reasons for excess coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality risk in South Asians are not entirely clear, studies have found higher levels of conventional risk factors present at a younger age, which may be an explanation for

Results from the PURE (Prospective Urban-Rural Epidemiology) study, carried out on 135,000 individuals aged 35 to 70 years from 18 low, middle and high-income countries (North America, Europe, South America, the Middle East, South Asia, China, South East Asia and Africa) has contrasted with current dietary advice, by finding that high carbohydrate intake is linked to worse total mortality and non-cardiovascular mortality outcomes, while high fat intake is associated with lower risk. “Our findings do not support the current recommendation to limit total fat intake to less than 30% of energy and saturated fat intake to less than 10% of energ

Risk calculation Dr Peter Brindle, the Research and Development Director and GP at the Bristol Primary Care Trust, lit the spark by taking the first lecture spot. With the title Advances and Controversies in CVD Risk Estimation he was stepping into the lions’ den. Earlier in the year H·E·A·R·T UK welcomed the continued use of well-established and validated risk calculation tools within the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) lipid modification guideline and had endorsed the guideline group’s decision not to recommend more novel experimental approaches. So the delegates were keen to hear Dr Brindle announce the