This HSJ supplement looks at where we are with heart valve disease today, the challenges of the future and how we can meet them.
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Heart valve problems are some of the most common conditions in later life, with around one in two over 65s having some level of disease related to their heart structure. In the majority of cases, this will be mild but more than one in 10 will have moderate or severe disease.
Currently around 1.5 million people in the UK have moderate to severe disease but by 2040 this is expected to rise to 2.7 million.
Those with severe aortic stenosis – the most common form of heart valve disease which involves a narrowing of the aortic valve – have a two year survival rate without treatment of around 50 per cent and a five year survival rate of just 3 per cent, worse than many common cancers.
Yet awareness of this common condition is very low – despite effective treatments being available which can offer both longer life and a better quality of life to patients. Increasingly there is evidence that these are a cost effective approach for the NHS as well when the entire patient pathway is taken into account.
This HSJ supplement looks at where we are with heart valve disease today, the challenges of the future and how we can meet them.
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