CVDPREVENT: Third annual audit report on cardiovascular disease (9 March 2023)

Summary

The CVDPREVENT Audit has published its third annual audit report covering the audit period up to March 2022. The report provides insight into the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on primary care services, when diagnosis and management of hypertension were significantly disrupted. It also compares the national position against key ambitions identified as milestones for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the detection and management of atrial fibrillation, blood pressure and cholesterol. It also includes findings relating to diagnoses of chronic kidney disease and diabetes, lifestyle and health inequalities, as well as a number of recommendations to support the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Content

Key findings

• The prevalence of cardiovascular disease in adults in England was 6.0%. The prevalence increased with age and males were more likely than females to have the disease
• Prescription of anticoagulation drug therapy, for those with AF at high-risk of stroke, increased by one percentage point since March 2021 to 88.9% in March 2022
• Nearly 20% of people with CVD did not have a recorded current prescription of lipid lowering therapy (secondary prevention).