Cardiovascular disease is the single most common cause of death in the UK, and is a major cause of illness, disability and poor quality of life. Smoking, high blood pressure and having high levels of fats, such as cholesterol in your blood, increase your risk of CHD or stroke. People with diabetes or chronic kidney disease are also at increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
We know that your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease and dementia increases with age. There are also certain things that will put you at even greater risk. These are:
- being overweight
- being physically inactive
- not eating healthily
- smoking
- drinking too much alcohol
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol.
For every 6 to 10 NHS Health Checks 1 person is identified as being at high risk of cardiovascular disease
For every 80 – 200 HS Health Checks 1 person is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
For every 30 to 40 NHS Health Checks 1 person is found to have hypertension
