Tackling cardiovascular disease: why the urgency?

Tackling cardiovascular disease: why the urgency? Between the 1970s and early 2000s, there were dramatic falls in the number of people dying from cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) globally, a result of lifestyle changes and medical advances. This has driven unprecedented improvements in life expectancy. The number of people dying of CVDs in the UK fell by almost 70 per cent between 1980 and 2013. Given these spectacular declines, some consider the subsequent slowdown in the rate of improvement as inevitable. But does this mean the job of tackling CVDs is done? The evidence suggests not by a long margin and The NHS Long Term Plan identifies CVDs as ‘the single biggest area where the NHS can save lives over the next 10 years’. The King's Fund