Experts claim that thousands of heart attacks and strokes could be avoided by providing individuals over 50 with a daily medication.
Currently the NHS offers a wellness examination for individuals in this age bracket every half-decade -- however, this program might soon be superseded.
A solitary "polypill" has been discovered to reduce the incidence of heart attacks and strokes in elderly individuals by up to one-third, as reported in a study published in the journal. British Medical Journal (BMJ).
The tablet includes a statin along with a triple therapy for lowering blood pressure.
Scientists have suggested that this medication might substitute the NHS’s periodic five-year checkup for adults aged 40 to 74, which evaluates their cholesterol levels and overall cardiac well-being.
This could serve as a significant policy move for the Labour government, aiming to steer the NHS toward a focus on preventive care.
The body of evidence supporting the polypill approach is broadly considered "adequate as a strategy for primary prevention of heart attacks and strokes," according to the BMJ.
Professor Aroon Hingorani, who co-authored the study, stated that maintaining the current situation is "not a defensible approach" for effectively averting diseases in Britain.
The current preventive measures involve testing individuals aged forty and above for high cholesterol and blood pressure levels, along with indicators of heart disease, and prescribing necessary preventive medications accordingly.
Hingorani told The Times :'The moment has come to significantly improve our preventive efforts. Adopting strategies aimed at the entire population could avoid far more instances of heart attacks and strokes compared to what we currently have in place.'
A program recommending the polypill is anticipated to necessitate only about 8 percent of those qualified in Britain to choose the medication to yield a more significant advantage than the health check.
A study from 2003, referenced by Hingorani along with his colleague Professor Sir Nicholas Wald, suggested that a combination pill for individuals above 55 years old could potentially prevent approximately 80 percent of heart attacks and strokes.
Findings from a randomized controlled trial indicated that elderly individuals who consumed a polypill over five years saw roughly a 30% decrease in their likelihood of experiencing significant cardiovascular events.
The authors proposed conducting a pilot study in the UK to evaluate the expenses and acceptance of the treatment.
Heart attacks and strokes rise with age and make a major contribution to increasing healthcare costs.
Over 7 million individuals in the UK are currently residing with cardiovascular disease.
Approximately 100,000 individuals experience a heart attack annually, and over 100,000 suffer from a stroke.
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