Figures reveal a high rate of heart failure in Northumberland
There were 3,756 people living with the condition in 2016-17, the most recent period for which data has been released. It means heart failure affected 1,161 in every 100,000 patients on doctors’ books, the 13th-highest rate in England.
It represents a 32% increase on the rate for patients in the Northumberland CCG in 2009-10, when data was first recorded.
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Hide AdHeart failure is a condition where the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly. It is most commonly caused by a heart attack.
It is the only major cardiovascular disease – meaning those relating to the heart and blood vessels – which is becoming more common. The condition costs the NHS over £2billion a year.
A spokesperson for NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said: “These figures are what we would expect to see with an ageing population and we have a long history in Northumberland of proactively identifying people with long-term conditions such as heart failure, and as a result we have a high recorded prevalence.
“We are also fortunate that in Northumberland GPs are able to refer directly for hospital-based investigations, which helps in the timely and accurate diagnosis of such conditions.
“We are constantly developing our care pathways to diagnose and treat heart related conditions.”