Half a million missed out on stroke-preventing drugs

HALF a million people in the UK missed out on drugs to prevent strokes and heart attacks during the pandemic, research shows.

Scientists said this could lead to at least 13,000 more people suffering cardiovascular events, including 5,700 more heart attacks and strokes.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) said the figures were clear evidence of the damage caused by the “major disruption” to healthcare since the first lockdown. Independent experts said the findings suggest that the numbers put on pills for blood pressure fell by more than one quarter over the period.

The research, also involving the universities of Liverpool and Strathclyde, found 491,306 fewer people than expected started taking blood pressurelowering medication between March 2020 and the end of July 2021.

During the same period, 316,018 fewer people started on statins. Both types of medication are routinely offered to those at risk of heart disease.

Before the pandemic, nine million people were estimated to be on blood pressure medication, with eight million on statins to cut cholesterol; in many cases, patients are prescribed both.

The findings come amid deepening concern about a surge in heart deaths because of struggles to access GP care and long waits for ambulances.

Figures show there were more than 21,000 excess heart deaths in the past nine months, a 14 per cent rise compared with before the pandemic. Meanwhile, average ambulance waits for heart attack and stroke victims last month reached 93 minutes – the worst figure on record.

Heart experts have urged the NHS to identify those who have missed out.

Dr Sonya Babu-narayan, BHF associate medical director, said: “Yet again we’re seeing clear evidence of the major disruption to healthcare people in the UK experienced during the pandemic.

“It’s not too late to limit the damage. We need to make it easier and more accessible for everyone to know their numbers – particularly their blood pressure and cholesterol. This means empowering people to access the help they need when they need so they can be supported to manage their own health.”

The latest research was published in Nature Medicine.

Researchers’ estimates suggest that if those who missed out on blood pressure treatment remain untreated, there will be more than 13,500 additional cardiovascular events, with an estimated 3,474 strokes, 2,281 heart attacks and thousands more cases of heart failure and angina.