28th July 2021 is the 60th birthday of the British Heart Foundation, marking six decades of progress. 60 years ago, the treatment for a heart attack was bedrest and painkillers and most babies born in the UK with a heart defect didn’t make it to their first birthday. Today, thanks to research, 8 out of 10 babies born with a congenital defect survive to adulthood and each year the annual number of deaths from heart and circulatory diseases in the UK has halved. BHF-funded research has given us machines that can restart hearts, the ability to fix arteries in tiny babies and the power to give someone a heart they weren’t born with.
Let’s stand together!
Heart and circulatory diseases still kill 1 in 4 people in the UK, causing heartbreak on every street. That’s why BHF work is as urgent and vital as ever. BHF research is the promise to protect the people we love. Our parents. Our brothers. Our sisters. Our grandparents. Our closest friends. Research is who BHF are. The promise of future preventions, treatments and cures. Peoples’ donations have got BHF this far. Every breakthrough they’ve made, funded by their wonderful supporters, companies and clubs and associations.
BHF 60th Stats
- Since the BHF was established the annual number of deaths from heart and circulatory diseases in the UK has fallen by around a half
- Since 1961 the UK death rate from heart and circulatory diseases has declined by more than three quarters
- In the 1960s more than 7 out of 10 heart attacks in the UK were fatal. Today at least 7 out of 10 people survive.
- Before the BHF existed, the majority of babies born in the UK with a heart defect did not survive to their first birthday. Today, thanks to research, around 8 out of 10 survive to adulthood.
- The BHF is the biggest independent funder of heart and circulatory diseases in the UK.
Heart Surgery Innovation: Idea to Reality
On 28 July, as part of BHF's 60th birthday special editions of Live & Ticking, BHF Professor, Gianni Angelini, will be sharing the innovative surgical idea that his team turned into a reality. You can find out more and register for the event here.
Help us beat heartbreak forever
Nothing’s more important than the people you love. BHF can only continue to fund life saving research with your help. Have a look at our Charity Partner page British Heart Foundation | BAPCO and see how you can help.
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