A report published in the British Medical Journal, compiled by Oxford University academics has found that heart attack deaths reduced by 50% between 2002 and 2010. The researchers were trying to find out if the drop was due to prevention such as healthier lifestyles, preventive treatment such as cholesterol lowering medication or better treatment after a heart attack. The findings were that they all played an equal role in preventing fatalities.
Professor Michael Goldacre, one of the study’s authors, said heart attack deaths had been dropping since the 1970s, and some reasons were clear. During the study period, the proportion of smokers had dropped from 27 per cent to 21 per cent of the population and smoking bans had been introduced. Furthermore, in 2000, just 10million prescriptions for cholesterol-lowering drugs were written. By 2010 that figure was 52million.
This is all very encouraging news, but with the rise of more and more people taking medication to prevent illnesses, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, we would remind our travel insurance customers to remember to declare all the medications they take, even the preventative ones when buying travel insurance for medical conditions. Declaring all your medications and medical conditions does not necessarily mean you are going to pay an increase premium, but it will ensure you are fully covered.
