The Stroke Survivors' Declaration (UK)

At the heart of the work of the Campaigns and Policy team is the Stroke Survivors' declaration. Written by over 120 stroke survivors, it sets out what levels of care and support should be provided when survivors come out of hospital after a stroke, keen to get on with getting back to their best possible quality of life. The declaration builds on existing policy and best practice - and so does not require those who plan or provide health and social care to find extra resources, merely to ensure that they "get the basics right more of the time". The declaration covers issues such as ensuring stroke survivors' needs are regularly assessed, ensuring carers are not left to fend on their own (without support) and ensuring the benefits systems are truly aware of the financial impact of stroke and their role in supporting people through this difficult time. Given the fact that health and social care are devolved issues, namely decided in each of the 4 nations of the UK, there are separate versions for each of the nations

Study says soda tax would cut obesity rates by 1.3 per cent in UK, W. Europe's fattest country

Slapping a 20 per cent tax on soda in Britain could cut the number of obese adults by about 180,000, according to a new study. Though the number works out to a modest drop of 1.3 per cent in obesity, scientists say that reduction would still be worthwhile in the U.K., which has a population of about 63 million and is the fattest country in Western Europe. About one in four Britons is obese. Researchers at Oxford University and the University of Reading estimated a 20 per cent tax on soft drinks would reduce sales by 15 per cent and that people would buy beverages like orange juice, milk and diet drinks instead. They said the tax would have the biggest impact on people under 30, who drink more sugary drinks than anyone else. No funding was provided by any advocacy or industry groups for the study, published online Thursday in the journal, BMJ. "Every possible alternative that people would buy is going to be better than a sugary drink," said Mike Rayner of Oxford, one of the study authors. "(The tax) is not a panacea, but it's part of the solution."

Heart failure operation first in UK

Surgeons at King's College Hospital have used a pioneering procedure which can improve the function of failing hearts. The operation, a form of "cardiac sewing", is the first of its kind in the UK and involves removing scar tissue whilst the heart is still beating, reducing the size of the heart so that it can pump more efficiently. Patients with heart failure struggle to pump blood around the body, which can leave them breathless during make mild exercise and day-to-day tasks. Sevket Gocer, 58, was the first patient to be treated in the UK. His heart function is said to have "improved significantly" after the operation. Mr Olaf Wendler, a professor of cardiac surgery at King's College Hospital, commented: "In the technique we have now used for the first time in the UK, one does not need to stop the heart, one does not even necessarily need to place the patient on a heart-lung machine. "It's a less traumatic and less invasive type of procedure." The procedure is also being trialled by other hospitals across Europe

The "Walking Works" report (UK)

Tens of thousands of lives could be saved each year in the UK if people got off the sofa and stretched their legs more, say charities. The "Walking Works" report by the Ramblers and Macmillan Cancer Support said walking was a free activity which could transform people's health. Being physically active decreases the odds of heart problems and stroke. But it also makes a difference in other conditions such as type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and many cancers. Recently a British Medical Journal study showed that exercise was as good a medicine as pills for some conditions including heart diseases and another study showed walking at least an hour a day significantly cut the risk of breast cancer. The latest report said that if everyone, in England alone, did the recommended 150 minutes of moderate physical exercise every week it would: save 37,000 lives each year; prevent 6,700 cases of breast cancer; stop 4,700 people getting colorectal cancer; lead to nearly 300,000 fewer cases of type 2 diabetes

Restarting hearts: new machine could make big difference for London cardiac patients (UK)

Middlesex-London EMS crews are already among the best in the country at saving cardiac-arrest victims, but new equipment they're testing could see that success rate climb. The national average for survival of cardiac arrest is a terrifying 10%. Middlesex-London paramedics, however, boast a 30% survival rate, superintendent of education Jay Loosley said. "We're seeing the highest rates of survival from cardiac arrest that we've ever seen," he said. Loosley said paramedics have been striving to minimize the crucial few seconds between shocking the patient with a defibrillator and the resumption of CPR. "The longer you're off the chest doing something, the more the chance of survival goes down," said. "We're trying to focus on hands off the chest, shock him, and hands back on the chest. Some of our medics are doing it in about one or two seconds, which is amazing." Upping the odds is a machine that performs CPR automatically, freeing the paramedic to offer more treatment to the patient. Crews are in the midst of a three-month trial with the machine. "It provides mechanical chest compressions to cardiac arrest victims," Loosley said. "The benefit is it can allow paramedics to have their hands free. They don't need to be on the chest and it's always perfect.” Currently, three of them are being tested, but the cost is prohibitive at $12,000 apiece. Loosley's a fan, though. "When you stop CPR to do anything, even for a few seconds, that's when you see your (chance of) survival go down," he said. "With this, someone is always on the chest."

Stroke victim unable to feel sadness (UK)

Malcolm Myatt, 68, who spent 19 weeks in hospital and lost the feeling in his left side, was told by doctors that the stroke had hit the frontal lobe of his brain, which controls the emotions. He has since noticed a number of changes, including to his short term memory, but believes that the loss of sadness from his emotional repertoire is a positive. Experts have confirmed that it is not uncommon for strokes to cause psychological, emotional and behavioural changes. The retired lorry driver said: "I am never depressed. Being sad wouldn't help anything anyway. I would definitely rather be happy all the time than the other way round. It's an advantage really. "The stroke could have become my worst enemy but I wouldn't let it. Now I barely even notice that I don't feel sadness.”

Cardiac health scanner worker detects her own heart tumour (UK)

A hospital worker who scans hearts discovered her own heart tumour during a routine training exercise. Amy Sherwood, 33, an echocardiographer at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, was acting as a Guinea pig with a colleague when she spotted the growth. Ms Sherwood became one of just a few patients in the UK to receive keyhole heart surgery to remove the tumour, which meant a shorter recovery period. Two weeks after the operation, she married her fiance Simon Bowden. Ms Sherwood was stunned to discover the tumour. "Although I've been carrying out echocardiograms on patients for a number of years, never in my working life did I imagine that I would find a problem with my own heart - especially so close to my wedding day," she said

How the 'obesity gene' triggers weight gain (UK)

A UK led international team of researchers has discovered why people with a variation of a certain gene are more likely to become obese. The obesity-risk FTO variant gene affects one in six people who are 70% more likely to become obese. The FTO gene's role in obesity was first discovered in 2007. People with the gene have higher levels of the 'hunger hormone', ghrelin, in their blood which makes them feel hungry again just after eating. One in 4 adults in the UK are now obese and the numbers are rising. The new study was led by scientists at University College London, the Medical Research Council and King’s College London Institute of Psychiatry. Twenty healthy weight male volunteers were used in the trial rather than people who were already overweight. "As soon as you've become overweight, then all of your body systems behave in a different manner, and you don't know which is cause or consequence," says Dr Rachel Batterham from UCL and University College London Hospitals who led the study. Ten of those taking part had the FTO gene, the other 10 didn't. Even within this normal weight range group, people with the FTO gene were likely to have more body fat

More research needed into hair test for heart disease (UK)

Measuring hair for a hormone produced by stress could help identify people at greater risk of cardiovascular disease, say scientists. Cortisol is a hormone produced by the body during periods of stress. Researchers looked at the cortisol levels in the hair of older people. They found that the people who had higher long-term levels of the hormone were more likely to have cardiovascular disease. While cortisol levels can be measured by blood tests, these only provide a ‘snapshot’ of levels at a moment in time. By testing hair, scientists were able to see a person’s cortisol levels over the course of several months. British Heart Foundation Senior Cardiac Nurse Maureen Talbot said: "Long-term stress can be a trigger for habits, such as smoking, drinking alcohol to excess and overeating, that can increase our risk of heart disease. "A test that can confirm a sustained increase in cortisol levels could help be a useful way of assessing a person’s cardiovascular risk. "While this study demonstrates a link between raised cortisol levels and cardiovascular disease, the elderly population they studied may already have other risk factors for heart disease too. "Larger studies are required before such a test can be confirmed as a predictor for cardiovascular disease. In the meantime we should all focus on how we handle extra or sustained stress in our lives. A healthy diet, getting plenty of exercise and taking time to relax can all help." The research was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism

High-tech vest helps doctors investigate abnormal heart beats (UK)

Cardiologists at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust are the first in the UK to test a high-tech vest which helps them accurately pinpoint the cause of rapid and abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmias). The team, led by consultant cardiologist Dr Prapa Kanagaratnam, have tested the ECVUE system in 40 patients at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington. The Trust is one of only three centres worldwide and the first in the UK to use the system to find the source of extra heartbeats that cause symptoms such as chest discomfort and thumping sensations. At least one million people in the UK have experienced frequent palpitations which can be very disturbing on their day to day activity. In some cases arrhythmias can cause fainting and be potentially life-threatening

Chippies told to hold the salt in drive to beat heart disease (UK)

UK Government Ministers want to reduce the amount of salt in popular dishes, such as chips and sandwiches, to help prevent thousands of early deaths each year from heart disease and stroke. Food manufacturers and caterers will be set targets to help cut by a quarter the amount of salt consumed every day. Research suggests that more than half of shoppers "rarely or never" consider the amount of salt in food, despite 86 per cent knowing that too much is unhealthy. The Department of Health is aiming to help consumers reduce their salt intake from an average of 8.1g a day to 6g. Catering and takeaway companies will be set "maximum targets" for the salt content of their most popular dishes. Companies will also be urged to promote low-salt options

Number of people diagnosed with diabetes reaches three million (UK)

The number of people in the UK who have been diagnosed with diabetes has reached three million for the first time, equivalent to 4.6 per cent of the UK's population, according to new analysis carried out by Diabetes UK and Tesco. The figure represents an increase of 132,000 people diagnosed with diabetes over the last year. A further 850,000 people are thought to have undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes. Experts have warned that unless more is done to prevent Type 2 diabetes and more help is given to help those with the condition, the increase could see the NHS burdened with unsustainable costs, which has huge implications for public health. Every year in England and Wales, 24,000 people with diabetes die earlier than expected, a situation that is expected to get even worse without urgent action

Obesity crisis risks making Britain 'fat man of Europe', warns report

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges is calling for fewer fast food outlets near schools and a complete ban on unhealthy food in hospitals in a report which warns the crisis is at risk of becoming "unresolvable". By 2050 more than half of adults will be seriously overweight and tough measures are needed to prevent the situation spiralling completely out of control, the UK's 220,000 doctors warn. They want action from the Government, National Health Service, councils, food firms, and parents in order to stop "generation after generation falling victim to obesity-related illness and death", according to The Guardian newspaper. Doctors are united in viewing obesity - the consequences of which include diabetes, heart disease and cancer - as the single greatest public health crisis facing the country, the report says. The epidemic means that people are dying needlessly from avoidable diseases, it adds. The report criticises both current and previous governments for "piecemeal and disappointingly ineffective" attempt to deal with the problem, given that one in four adults in England is obese and these figures are set to climb to 60 per cent of men, 50 per cent of women, and 25 per cent of women over the next 37 years. The statistics have made the UK the "fat man of Europe", leading the academy to draw up a 10-point-plan at the end of their year long consultation on the topic

A daily brisk walk halves heart attack risk (UK)

People who go on a fast daily walk have been found to have a 50 per cent lower chance of having a heart attack or stroke than those who don't. This power walking was even found to be more effective than jogging, which lowered it by 40 per cent. Walking daily but at a leisurely pace was found to have little to no effect on heart attack or stroke risk, suggesting it's intensity rather than time when it comes to exercise. The findings were published by Danish scientists in the BMJ Open. They spent a decade studying the health of 4,000 volunteers aged between 21 and 98. The scientists compared the chances of developing 'metabolic syndrome', a term that collectively describes a number of conditions including obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Those with metabolic syndrome are more likely to suffer from heart attack or stroke as they get older. The report stated: "Significantly lower risk of metabolic syndrome was found in the moderately and highly physically active groups compared to their sedentary counterparts." But the team added: "Light physical activity and even more than one hour of walking daily did not confer protection against metabolic syndrome." The important difference between a slow stroll and a more intense brisk or 'power' walk is that a faster walk increases the heart rate. The heart is a muscle, so it needs working out and getting it to move faster is the key to preventing heart attack and stroke. Senior Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation Maureen Talbot said: "If you want to make the walk to work or to the shops part of keeping your heart healthy then try turning it from a leisurely stroll into a power walk to get the benefits."

Anniversary joy for heart-transplant Kaylee (UK)

Transplant baby Kaylee Davidson-Olley is celebrating a quarter of a century since her historic operation. The Houghton woman became the first UK baby to successfully survive a heart transplant when at five months old, she underwent the procedure at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. Despite experiencing such trauma at a young age, Kaylee has gone on to lead a normal life, combining work as a sales adviser at Marks & Spencer and competing in the World Transplant Games, while also studying at college. Ahead of the anniversary, Kaylee, 25, speaking as she met 30 other transplant patients, said: "I cannot believe that I am fit and healthy 25 years after my heart transplant." "This was only made possible because of the generosity of a family who made that important decision about organ donation, a decision that saved my life. "Without that family discussing organ donation, I simply would not be here"

Building a 'heart patch' (UK)

The British Heart Foundation has awarded two new grants from its Mending Broken Hearts Appeal fund, at a combined cost of more than £500,000. Each funded project holds promise of helping find a way to repair hearts damaged by a heart attack. The two sets of scientists - one at the University of Cambridge, and the other at University College London - are both trying to develop a 'heart patch' to fix to a damaged heart. A 'patch' with the right layout of heart muscle cells, held together by proteins and supporting cells, could form part of a future treatment for some people with heart failure. But making a patch is not easy, because heart muscle has a much more complex structure than many other types of tissue. Different types of cells and supporting structures have to be positioned and connected in precisely the right way to form healthy working tissue

'Heart shrinking' trial to combat heart failure to begin

A trial using electricity to shrink the hearts of patients with heart failure is about to start in Liverpool. It will involve electrically stimulating one of the nerves leading to the heart, which it is hoped could shrink the heart and improve life expectancy. This is the first trial of the technique in humans, after it was shown to keep rats and dogs alive for longer

Exhaust fumes are twice as deadly as roads, study claims (UK)

More than 5,000 people die prematurely from conditions like lung cancer and heart disease because of emissions, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Exhaust from aeroplanes cause a further 2,000 deaths annually while emissions from the energy and industrial sectors and pollution originating from Europe bring the overall total up to 19,000 deaths per year in Britain. In contrast official figures state that 1,850 people were killed as a result of road accidents in 2010. Prof Steven Barrett, who led the study, said: "It does appear to be the case that air pollution from road traffic causes more deaths per year than the number who die on the roads. "But those who die from air pollution tend to die about 10 years earlier than they would otherwise, whereas people who die in road traffic accidents might be on average middle aged, so it is likely that road traffic accidents cause more loss of life years overall than air pollution."

Free porridge cut accidents in obese workers at Olympics (UK)

The 80,000-seater stadium and the 2,818 flats built for the Olympic Village in Stratford, east London, were constructed by a workforce who lived on 'takeaways', according to Olympic chiefs. It was only during construction that bosses from the Olympics Delivery Authority (ODA) realised that a staggering number of the 12,000 builders working on the Olympic showpiece were living an 'unhealthy lifestyle' and that many were significantly overweight. Lawrence Waterman, head of health and safety for the ODA, revealed the statistics at a health and safety conference hosted by the Police Federation last week. He revealed statistics from an occupational health report which showed that 28 per cent of the 12,000 builders - that's 3,360 - at the Olympic Park were classed as 'obese'. The report also revealed that 41 per cent of the workforce - a staggering 4,920 - were overweight and that 3,500 - 29 per cent - had high blood pressure. He said that accidents were being caused by workers skipping breakfast after indulging in fatty takeaways the night before - leaving them 'desperate' for something to eat by lunchtime. The conference heard how accidents at the massive 500-acre site 'peaked' in the one-hour period before lunch as workers' minds were on what they were having for lunch rather than on the job in hand. Mr Waterman said that as soon as bosses at the ODA realised how unhealthy the workers were they started offering bowls of porridge for just £1 to workers so they got a 'healthy start to the day'. He stated in his report: "They (the workers) were coming into work for three hours suffering really low blood sugar. "We had canteens offering porridge for a £1 and accidents in the morning went down."

Anti-stroke drug approved by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (UK)

Pradaxa, which has been described as the "holy grail" of blood-thinning drugs, reduces the risk of a stroke in people with a heart contition called atrial fibrillation (AF). The drug has now been approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for prescriptions on the NHS in England and Wales. Up to 1.2 million people in Britain have AF, where the heart's chambers fail to beat in rhythm, causing blood to pool and form clots. Eventually a clot can be dislodged by blood and washed along the arteries, before blocking a small blood vessel in the brain, causing a stroke. Boehringer Ingelheim, the drug maker, estimates 5,000 strokes could be prevented annually if people who were given the drug instead of the blood-thinning agent warafin, traditionally used as rat poison. A study of 18,000 people with atrial fibrillation (AF) found that taking 150mg of Pradaxa daily reduced the risk of stroke by between 30 and 39 per cent, caompared to those on warfarin, depending on the type of AF. The twice-daily pill does cost more than warfarin - about £2.50 daily compared to about £1 - and some local health authorities have expressed concern at the high potential cost