Public dissemination event: An integrated approach to cardiovascular disease in homeless individuals

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) poses the largest disease burden for the NHS and in the last forty years there have been great advances in both treatment for and prevention of the disease. In homeless populations however, CVD is neglected with healthcare emphasis in this population instead focusing on infectious diseases and acute crisis management. This is despite CVD being the commonest cause of death in homeless individuals. Additionally, recent policy initiatives to tackle CVD fail to mention homeless populations, despite previous research suggesting a five-fold increased risk of coronary artery disease and stroke, compared with housed people living in the most socially deprived areas.

Funded by the National Institute for Health Research, a group, led by Dr Ami Banerjee, Institute of Health Informatics, conducted a 1-year preliminary project to characterise the burden of CVD, including heart disease and strokes, in homeless individuals in the UK with the overaching aim being to address some of these inequalities.