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Dr Foster's Case Notes

The ageing population of the United Kingdom and cardiovascular disease

BMJ 2005; 331 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.331.7529.1362 (Published 08 December 2005) Cite this as: BMJ 2005;331:1362
  1. Azeem Majeed,
  2. Paul Aylin

    The number of people aged 65 and over is predicted to increase by about 53% between 2001 and 2031, but the number of people aged under 65 will change little during this period (table). The increase in the number of older people will likely lead to an increase in the number of people who have chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease. This will impose further workload and financial pressures on the NHS. We examined the possible impact of the ageing population on the expected number of people with three cardiovascular disorders: coronary heart disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation.

    View this table:

    Change in population (thousands) of United Kingdom by age group, 2001-31

    Diseases of the cardiovascular system are the commonest cause of death in the United Kingdom and are responsible for a significant proportion of NHS spending.1We examined …

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