Heart health checks could save 4.3 million years

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) will rob British men of more than 16.5 million years of life according to a new study released by Lloydspharmacy.

But the good news is that early detection of cardiovascular problems could lead to more than a quarter of those years (4.3 million) being saved.

That’s an average of four years per at-risk individual, but for some the number of additional years of lifespan could be much greater.

The study, published by Lloydspharmacy, was compiled by Dr David Grainger, a heart disease researcher at Cambridge University and British Heart Foundation Senior Fellow

The publication of the study coincides with the launch of a new campaign from Lloydspharmacy called Ten Years Longer. The campaign is designed to encourage men who are at risk of CHD to get their hearts checked out. Lloydspharmacy offers a cholesterol and heart check at 625 of its pharmacies across the UK.

The campaign is being fronted by actor Ricky Tomlinson. Ricky freely admits that he did not take his heart health seriously in the past and paid the price last year. Ricky was diagnosed with heart disease after his wife insisted that he went to the doctor for a check up.

A quadruple bypass and a significant amount of weight loss later, Ricky says he is a new man. He admits that if his wife hadn’t mentioned to his doctor that he had been a little breathless, he would probably be either very ill now, or worse.
“Men think illness is the same as weakness and it’s not very manly to be ill,” said Ricky. “The trouble with that is that if you ignore your health then you are more likely to get very ill indeed!

“If women will go on a TV show to look ten years younger, then men can go to a pharmacy to live ten years longer!
Andy Murdock, Pharmacy Director for Lloydspharmacy, said: “Most men can manage to keep the appointments that they think are important. They get their cars serviced, get to meetings on time and remember to file their tax returns. The one appointment they can’t seem to make is for a health check up.”

“When my father died suddenly from a heart attack at the age of 55, he had no idea there was any problem with his heart” said Dr Grainger. “But this study emphasises that despite improvements over the last decade, heart disease still has huge impact on the health of the UK population, and men in particular. The first step to avoiding a heart attack is being aware of the risks.”

The Lloydspharmacy cholesterol and heart check removes many of the excuses men typically give for not getting themselves checked out. No appointment is necessary so they can just walk in off the street at a time which is convenient.

The check, which takes place in a private consultation area, only takes 15 minutes and you get an instant report on your risk of developing heart disease over the next ten years and practical advice about what to do next.

If you think you might be at risk visit www.lloydspharmacy.com and take the on-line health check to find out more. The site will also tell you where your nearest pharmacy is.

A great start to a healthier heart

Heart disease is a huge problem in the UK with millions of us at risk of developing it within the next 10 years. But the good news is that there’s a lot you can do to look after your heart and cut the risk of a heart attack or heart disease.
Lifestyle factors that can increase the risk of heart disease include:

• Smoking causes around one in three heart attacks and can increase your risk of developing heart disease by up to 80%

• A diet high in fats and salt and low in fruit and vegetables increases the risk of heart disease

• If you don’t lead an active life your risks are much higher – yet only one in three
men and one in four women in the UK actually get the exercise they need every week

• Two in three people in the UK have raised cholesterol levels which puts them at more risk of heart disease

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