Heart disease, the UK's biggest killer

In the UK, heart disease kills more people, both men and women, than any other disease.  It can affect anyone and there are around 275,000 heart attacks each year that's one every three minutes. More than 5.8 million people in England live with cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD is still the UK's biggest killer and the incidence of CVD is growing due to unhealthy lifestyles. More than 1.4 million people have experienced angina (a chest pain that is a symptom of coronary heart disease).

Introduction

Heart Research UK is a visionary charity founded in 1967 by Mr David Watson, a working heart surgeon, who realised that patients were dying unnecessarily because of the lack of research into heart disease, especially surgical techniques. Having funded six of the first eight successful UK heart transplants, the charity leads the way funding ground breaking, medical research projects into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease. There is a strong emphasis on supporting clinical and surgical projects and young researchers on their first steps into research. The charity currently funds over £4m of research projects at 31 hospitals and universities across the UK, funding nearly £850,000 last year alone. In addition, £700,000 has been awarded to community based lifestyle projects that aim to prevent or reduce the risks of heart disease.

Pioneering Research Project - Artificial Heart Muscle Project

The Artificial Heart Muscle Project is being developed at Leeds University and is funded by Heart Research UK.
It is at the cutting edge of science and could have worldwide significance, helping thousands of people with heart disease live longer, healthier lives. It is a unique project aimed at developing a man-made device to help patients with heart failure.
The concept of the muscle is simply to assist a weak heart by wrapping an artificial muscle around the recipient's heart, inside the chest cavity, and gently squeezing. An implanted computer chip will read the patient's own cardiac activity, sensing when the natural heart is tiring. Small muscle-like components will then be activated and contract and relax in synchronisation with the heart, thereby aiding in its pumping action. This amazing device could revolutionise the treatment of heart disease, as it is outside of the heart, helping to avoid rejection, which can happen with transplants.

Patient: David Hutchinson

David Hutchinson, a 62-year-old lorry driver from Hartshill, Sheffield had a heart attack in May 2009. After suffering from what he thought was indigestion for the best part of the day, David woke in the night and began having extreme chest pains. His wife called an ambulance; the paramedics carried out an ECG and confirmed he had suffered a heart attack.
David was quickly transported to hospital, where he was attended to immediately and had a stent fitted in the narrowed artery that had prevented blood from flowing to his heart - the cause of the heart attack.
"Since the heart attack I have changed my lifestyle significantly. The treatment I got in hospital was great and the rehabilitation programme explained what had happened and helped me get on a ladder to better health."Translational Research projects, funded by Heart Research UK and based at the University of Leeds are developing a new blood test to identify patients at risk of having a heart attack. This new research will prevent them from happening in the first place.

This content is provided by Heart Research UK working in partnership with Sovereign Health Care. The charity currently funds over £4m of research projects at 31 hospitals and universities across the UK and funded six of the first eight successful UK heart transplants. Sovereign Health Care is proud to support Heart Research UK through donations from The Sovereign Health Care Charitable Trust. If you would like to add your own support you can visit their site www.heartresearch.org.uk