‘Concerning’ rise in deaths of under-65s

A leading charity claims there has been a "concerning" rise in the number of under-65s dying from heart problems because of the pandemic.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) says there has been a worrying rise in deaths from heart and circulatory diseases and urged people to seek medical help if they had any troubling symptoms.

It fears the number of excess deaths could rise as the NHS faces the second surge of COVID-19 cases and usual winter pressures.

The charity has calculated that in the under-65s alone there has been more than 800 "excess" deaths from heart and circulatory problems since the start of the pandemic – after it analysed official mortality data among heart patients.

It said that during the first peak of the pandemic there were almost 2,800 deaths in patients under 65 - around 420 more than expected for that period of the year and, between May and July almost 3,100 deaths were registered in this group - around 350 more than expected for that time of the year.

There were no excess deaths seen in this group between January and March, when the pandemic hit, the BHF added.

BHF associate medical director Dr Sonya B abu-Na ray an, said: "We know there are tragic consequences of the pandemic for patients with heart and circulatory diseases, and these figures further highlight that delays in care are likely contributing to more deaths than we would expect to see.

"Despite rising cases of COVID-19, restoring and maintaining planned cardiovascular care must remain a priority. It's also vitally important that people don't let the fear of catching coronavirus put them off seeking medical help."