Topic: Inequalities

CCU110

The Covid-19 pandemic changed the way that people accessed healthcare, including care towards the end of life, where we saw a sustained shift towards more care in the community. Many people want to avoid hospital towards the end of life,… Read more

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The COVID-19 pandemic increased the risk of cardiovascular disease in the population. This increase may have exaggerated existing inequalities in disease risk and access to services, for example, related to sex, ethnicity, social deprivation, and region. This may be particularly… Read more

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One way of reducing the chances of a second stroke is through medication. For example, blood thinners (anticoagulants) and medication to lower cholesterol levels (statins). But about one out of three stroke survivors do not get these medications, with some… Read more

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Kidney disease is a major health issue, affecting ~20% of adults over the age of 35 in England. Heart disease – including heart attacks, heart failure and stroke – is the commonest cause of death in patients with kidney disease,… Read more

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Heart attacks are serious, can be fatal and are common. Because of major advances in treatment, many more people nowadays survive a heart attack. However, people who survive a heart attack have a higher chance of developing other conditions later… Read more

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Existing evidence shows that most people would prefer to avoid admissions to hospital in the final months of life and to die at home. People who live in deprived areas are more likely to have more emergency hospital admissions in… Read more

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Fatty liver disease (FLD) is a chronic liver condition characterised by fat accumulation in the liver. It is also known by various related terms such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or metabolic associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). FLD is… Read more

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Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to computer systems that aim to perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence, such as problem-solving and decision-making. AI is a rapidly growing area of technology and innovation, sparking excitement about its potential for improving healthcare outcomes. Read more

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Coronary heart disease and stroke are the main cause of death and disability in the world. Some patients with coronary heart disease and stroke have other illnesses that do not primarily involve the heart and vessels, such as pancreatic disorders,… Read more

CCU093

Diabetes (a condition where blood sugar level is too high) is associated with key complications such as cardiovascular, kidney, eye and foot conditions. However, people with diabetes may also be more likely to develop other conditions not necessarily flagged as… Read more

CCU096

Obesity has been declared a worldwide epidemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the number of people living with this condition continues to rise worldwide. It is a complex, chronic, and progressive condition, which substantially affects health, quality of… Read more

CCU092

Many public health policies (i.e. decisions relating to healthcare for the whole population) could be altered to improve health outcomes, value for money, or both. For example, in heart disease we could change the timing or frequency of risk assessments. Read more

CCU089

The COVID pandemic halted elective surgery. Over 7.3 million patients are now on the waiting list for elective (planned) operations and some patients have waited over 78 weeks. Delays to treatment can have a major impact on patient health, well-being… Read more

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Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is a condition where a lack of iron in the body leads to a reduction in the number of red blood cells. Iron is used to produce red blood cells, which help store and carry oxygen in… Read more

CCU087

There is increasing prevalence of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and heart failure across most populations globally. The increase in diabetes includes both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It is recognised by doctors that cardiovascular disease is commonly identified in… Read more

CCU080

During the COVID-19 pandemic, priority for imaging tests, such as x-ray, ultrasound, and scans such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), was often given to assess patients with COVID-19. As a consequence, many routine imaging tests for… Read more

CCU085

When someone has a stroke, they are taken to hospital for emergency treatment and rehabilitation. We wish to understand the long-term consequences of stroke on the patient and to the NHS (especially the length of time patients spend in hospital… Read more

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Each year, the number of new strokes diagnosed in older people has been decreasing. However, even before COVID-19 hit, the number of strokes in people aged under 55 had doubled in the last 10 years. Researchers found that both getting… Read more

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The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the way we deliver care for cardiology patients, especially those presenting with heart attacks. While the pandemic is now deemed to be over, its indirect effect in terms of disruption to services persists. Patients with… Read more

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UPDATE: This research project is currently paused pending a review. Further updates will be provided in due course. Who gets ill, when, and with which diseases and outcomes, are key questions for individuals, clinicians and healthcare systems. The COVID-19 pandemic… Read more

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People with severe mental illnesses (SMI) such as schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorders have a life expectancy 15-20 years lower than the general population, with two thirds of deaths from preventable chronic conditions such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, cancers… Read more

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This project aims to improve the design of clinical studies of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), a type of stroke caused by bleeding in the brain. It’s important that sufficient numbers of people take part in a research… Read more

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Patients and healthcare professionals alike are concerned about the side effects* of steroids, especially the increased chance of developing osteoporosis, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases (van der Goes 2009). Yet, patients with vasculitis (a collection of rare conditions of inflamed blood… Read more

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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors remain the leading cause of death and illness in the UK, causing 1 in 4 deaths in England. The Covid-19 pandemic has added to the burden and the urgency in identifying risk factors… Read more

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Healthcare planners need important epidemiological metrics for vascular diseases like heart attack and stroke. For example, they need to know how often people have diseases of different types (‘incidence’), how severe these diseases are (‘case fatality’), and how many people… Read more

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Heart and diabetes related problems are the number one cause of death in the world. Also known as cardiometabolic diseases, many of them are common and well-known. Some however are rare or found in less than 1 in 2,000 people. Read more

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers had to quickly adapt their approach to screening, diagnosing, and managing high blood sugar levels in pregnancy, known as gestational diabetes (GDM). To minimise the risk of viral exposure, care providers made changes to… Read more

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With over one billion people on the move globally, the healthcare of international migrants is increasingly important in the design and delivery of health services. COVID-19 had a greater impact on minoritised ethnic populations and migrants in England. However, we… Read more

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There is limited information describing the different ways people who have COVID-19 are managed. Different people have different treatments, sometimes no treatment at all. It is not known if outcomes (death or re-hospitalisation or other complications) vary depending upon how… Read more

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Aortic stenosis (AS), or narrowing of the aortic valve, is the commonest reason for having heart valve surgery in the west, that causes poor quality of life and death, if untreated. It affects ~1-in-20 adults aged >65, but the exact… Read more

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Asthma, interstitial lung disease (ILD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are chronic respiratory diseases that cause substantial disability and are associated with increased risk of death. Past studies have usually provided high-level snapshot pictures of their frequencies and associated… Read more

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The benefits of Covid-19 vaccinations are well-known; they reduce the risk of infection and lower the risk of serious illness or death associated with Covid-19. Evidence in England and Scotland suggests rates of COVID-19 hospitalisation and COVID-19 death are around… Read more

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Epilepsy, a tendency to repeated seizures, is common, affecting 600,000 people in the UK of all ages.  People with epilepsy face significant physical health, mental health and social problems. Small studies have shown that people with epilepsy may have more… Read more

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Severe mental illness (SMI), which includes schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression, affects about one in ten people. People with SMI die 10-20 years sooner than the general population, largely due to poorer physical health, in particular conditions that affect… Read more

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At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK government instituted a shielding policy for vulnerable groups, assuming that shielding would protect them from severe illness and/or death from COVID-19. However, recent research found worse COVID-19 outcomes amongst vulnerable groups… Read more

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Diabetes is a condition affecting approximately 4 million people in the UK. People with diabetes have high levels of blood glucose, which if unmanaged, can lead to serious damage to the heart, feet, eyes and kidneys. Previous research has shown… Read more

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Mass rollout of several highly-effective Covid-19 vaccines has helped prevent severe cases of Covid-19, protecting against hospitalisation and death. However, uptake of Covid-19 vaccination has not been equal across the population, potentially exacerbating existing health inequalities and leaving some communities… Read more

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This research project is awarded through a funding call by Health Data Research UK and the Alan Turing Institute as part of the wider Data and Connectivity National Core Study. Further details on this project are available here. Read more

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People living with intellectual and developmental disabilities (i.e. intellectual disabilities and/or autism) are more likely to be admitted to hospital and die from infection with COVID-19. We do not know why people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience poorer… Read more

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During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the risks to children related to COVID-19 infection were considered very low. Nonetheless, a subset of children with severe infections were admitted to hospital, required intensive care and experienced longer-term health issues. Read more

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This project was funded through a rapid funding call by Health Data Research UK, Office for National Statistics and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as part of the wider Data and Connectivity National Core Study. Further details on this project… Read more

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The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a new virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused many deaths worldwide. We are worried that some long-term (“chronic”) diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, can worsen COVID-19… Read more

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We know individuals with underlying health conditions have greater risk of developing severe COVID-19 and ending up with poorer outcomes. That is why governments and public health services have been providing dedicated and prioritised protections for these more clinically vulnerable… Read more

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Since the first case of COVID-19 in the UK in January 2020, there have been nearly 4 million cases reported. Whilst most people have recovered with only mild to moderate symptoms, others have more severe symptoms requiring admission to hospital. Read more

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Although cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart attacks and strokes, is still the leading cause of death in the UK, the risk of CVD events and death can be reduced by identifying and treating major risk factors such as high blood… Read more

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Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been rapid progress made towards the availability and accessibility of national healthcare data for research. Consequently, for the first time we are analysing data from over 65 million patients across the UK to help… Read more

CCU002

Coronavirus infection (‘COVID-19’) or vaccination against coronavirus might increase a person’s chance of having a stroke, heart attack or clot in the deep veins or lungs (‘blood vessel diseases’). During the COVID-19 pandemic, some doctors have looked after patients with… Read more