COVID-19 caused millions to miss out on receiving heart medication

A British Heart Foundation study found almost half a million people missed out on starting treatment to help prevent heart attacks and strokes as a result of healthcare delays during the pandemic. 

Leading heart disease charity, The British Heart Foundation (BHF), examined the amount of heart problems medication was prescribed during the first 18 months of the pandemic and discovered over 700,000 patients ran into problems.

Experts found 491,000 people missed out on receiving blood pressure pills and 316,000 failed to obtain treatment to lower their cholesterol.

Experiencing both high cholesterol and high blood pressure can make people more likely to suffer from a heart attack or a stroke.

Throughout the pandemic, NHS services were majorly disrupted. One service that was met with serious complexities was monitoring and treating high blood pressure. Despite taking action – the NHS provided more than 220,000 blood pressure monitors for people to take home – data shows two million people were recorded as having less control over their heart rate and blood pressure levels in 2021 compared to the previous year.

Professor Reecha Sofat, Lead Investigator of the study, said: ‘Despite the incredible work done by NHS staff, our data shows that we’re still not identifying people with cardiovascular risk factors at the same rate as we were before the pandemic.

‘The NHS has already taken important and positive steps towards identifying people with high blood pressure as early as possible.

‘However, we need this focus to be sustained in the long term to prevent any increase in heart attacks and strokes which will add to a healthcare system already under extreme pressure.’

According to previous research conducted by the BHF, which was published on the BMJ, between March 2020 and August 2022 there were more than 30,000 excess deaths involving coronary heart disease, an average of 230 a week above the excepted death rate.

Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, Associate Medical Director at the BHF, said: ‘Yet again we’re seeing clear evidence of the major disruption to healthcare people in the UK experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘But it’s not too late to limit the damage. These findings demonstrate how getting heart healthcare back on track can curb the additional strain that untreated risk factors – such as high blood pressure – would otherwise place on the NHS.’

The full study has been published in the online journal, Nature Medicine.

Photo by Ali Hajiluyi