Report warns of health and pension crisis
from high cholesterol in Scotland
The following report was issued on 7 November 2007...
A new report released today by a UK charity has called on the Scottish Government to take urgent action to address the high cholesterol levels in Scotland. Cholesterol is the single greatest risk factor for heart disease which is one of Scotland’s biggest killers. The report, produced by H·E·A·R·T UK, also highlights that raised cholesterol is a major risk factor for stroke and increases the risk of heart disease and stroke associated with diabetes and obesity.
H·E·A·R·T UK - The Cholesterol Charity - supports individuals and families with a high risk of premature cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke), especially those with inherited cholesterol. The report, supported by Merck Sharpe and Dohme Ltd and Schering Plough Ltd, actually shows that mortality rates for heart disease - of which high cholesterol is responsible for around half of the 15,000 deaths in Scotland in 2006 – are actually decreasing significantly. However, the charity warns that an increasing number of people are now living with the consequences of heart disease and stroke and that by 2020; heart disease will be the leading cause of disablement in the UK.
It is estimated that heart disease and stroke costs the Scottish economy more than £1.8bn each year (£7bn throughout the UK). Half of this figure represents the cost for NHS treatment and the other half is through productivity loss as people are unable to work for long periods of time due to the effects of ill-health.
The authors of the report, who include H·E·A·R·T UK’s Director, Michael Livingston; Dr Bob Finnie, a Livingston-based GP who is a H·E·A·R·T UK Trustee and Andrew Harris, Director of the think tank, Scottish Council Foundation, claim the Government needs to take decisive action. They have made the following recommendations:
Commenting on the report, H·E·A·R·T UK Director, Michael Livingston, said: “The death rate from cardiovascular disease and heart disease in particular in Scotland still remains one of the highest in Europe. While this may have declined significantly in recent years, the number of people living with the disease has continued to rise. This has a huge social and economic implication on our future well-being.
“If Scotland and the rest of the UK are to avoid a demographic time bomb and maintain the welfare state, we need to tackle the issue of high cholesterol levels to reduce the impact that heart disease and other cardio-vascular diseases are having on families throughout the country. Under the current trends, we face the unwelcome scenario of an aging population which is in worse health, yet living longer than previous generations.
“The UK Government’s plans to raise the state retirement age and ease the pension crisis in Britain is based on the hope that people can spend more years in work and not retire early. If, however, a large part of early retirement is increasingly due to ill health from cardiovascular-related illness then it is vital that the government tackles the key causes of this early.”
Dr Bob Finnie, a GP and a Trustee of H·E·A·R·T UK who contributed to the report, said: “Efforts to reduce cholesterol have not been addressed with the same vigour as smoking or high blood pressure. A major awareness campaign is needed to help address the issue which is placing a large and expensive burden the NHS.
“Currently, few general practices will provide a cholesterol test if the patient is not considered to be ‘at risk’, and of those pharmacies which do offer testing, most charge a small fee, placing it out of the reach of low income groups who are most at risk. Opportunistic cardiovascular risk assessment including cholesterol testing, as recommended by expert advice in the Joint British Societies latest guidance and funded by the GP contract, should be introduced in practices across the UK. This would allow patients, regardless of background, to be aware of their cholesterol levels and would prevent at risk patients from slipping through the net.
“We also need to lower the existing targets for cholesterol levels as current recommendations in Scotland are failing patients by only driving the NHS to achieve the minimum standard of care. If we are to achieve the best quality care for patients at risk of cardiovascular disease, then the Joint British Societies guidelines of total cholesterol levels of 4mmol/l must be implemented.”
Andrew Harris, Director of the Scottish Council Foundation said: “Existing national screening programmes for cancer have shown their cost-effectiveness in allowing earlier detection and more effective treatment. On that basis, the introduction of a comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment, including cholesterol testing, seems justified, particularly if it could be tied to a more strategic approach to the use of statins for those most at risk. Alongside that, we must still do more to tackle the inequalities in health and wellbeing that exist across Scotland and contribute to our existing rates of CHD.”
To read the full report ‘Cholesterol and the ageing Scottish Population’ click here to download a PDF
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