INCURABLE HEART DISEASE ON THE RISE IN SCOTLAND

During Heart Awareness Month, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland is calling for more investment in support to be made available to people diagnosed with heart failure as NHS figures reveal increasing numbers of people – almost 48,000 – are living with the devastating disease in Scotland.
The figures also show that over the last 10 years there has been a 54% increase in the number of people discharged from hospital with heart failure, up from around 11,000 in 2008-09 to over 17,000 a year in 2018-19.
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland fears that without taking urgent steps to ensure proper support is put in place now, Scotland will not meet the growing need to help people and their families as they cope with a heart failure diagnosis. Last year, a report on specialist heart failure nursing in Scotland showed a lack of investment despite growing caseloads.

Heart failure is usually incurable, and only half of people survive beyond 5 years after diagnosis. The heart can’t function properly and struggles to pump blood around the body. Yet few people are aware of what it is and often confuse it with heart attacks or cardiac arrest.
The rise in numbers is thought to be partly down to an increasing number of people surviving events like a heart attack, which damages the heart, and Scotland’s ageing population, as heart failure becomes more common with age.  But sometimes it can affect younger people out of the blue, often as a result of undetected heart conditions.

Because of the poor prognosis and the effects of symptoms such as breathlessness and fatigue, without support many people with heart failure experience poor quality of life or can struggle with mental health illness such as depression. Like conditions such as cancer, people and their families need a package of support they can access – but with heart failure the awareness and investment often just isn’t there.

Jane-Claire Judson, Chief Executive at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, said:
“Behind the figures is a human cost to heart failure.  It’s a devastating disease, and although it affects more people in Scotland than common cancers, many people simply don’t know what it is, or what impact it has.
“This has been on the Scottish Government’s radar since the 2014 Heart Disease Improvement Plan.  We need to see a renewed focus on ensuring that everyone gets the support they need, whether it’s a specialist heart failure nurse, or local community support.
“When people think of heart disease it’s often heart attacks that come first to mind, but heart failure is far more deadly, and is on the increase.
“If we don’t give heart failure the attention it deserves, people won’t be given the best chance to have the best possible quality of life. We’ve clearly been successful at helping people survive longer with heart failure, but we need to help them really live.”