A new study has found that people with heart failure living in the most deprived areas are likely to die more than six months earlier than those living in wealthier neighborhoods.
Researchers from the University of Leeds say the gap in life expectancy linked to poverty has actually widened over time, despite patients receiving the same medical treatment.
The study, published in BMC Medicine, looked at data from 1,802 heart failure patients in West Yorkshire.
Researchers followed them for up to 10 years and compared survival rates based on where the patients lived.
They used a measure called the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), which scores each postcode based on factors like income, employment, education, and housing.
After adjusting for age, sex, and other health conditions, the researchers found that people with heart failure in the most deprived areas lost about 2.3 years of life on average. In contrast, those in the least deprived areas lost 1.8 years of life.
This means the gap in life expectancy between the poorest and richest areas was about 6.5 months—and that gap is getting worse in more recent years.
Dr. Oliver Brown, who led the study, explained that even though patients visited the same hospitals and took part in the same studies, their social and economic circumstances had a big effect on how long they lived. He said the next step is to understand why these differences exist and what can be done to address them.
Heart failure happens when the heart can’t pump blood around the body as well as it should. It can be caused by a heart attack, high blood pressure, or damage to the heart muscle. The condition often makes everyday activities difficult, and while treatments can manage symptoms, there is no cure to stop it from getting worse.
In this study, 72% of participants died within five years of their diagnosis. However, the researchers noted that heart failure treatments have improved since the study began in 2006, and outcomes today may be better.
Dr. Sonya Babu-Narayan, Clinical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said that living in a deprived area has long been linked to poorer health and shorter life. She called the growing gap in survival between rich and poor “troubling,” and stressed the importance of government action to prevent heart disease and ensure fair access to care.
The researchers hope their findings will inform health policy and lead to meaningful changes that reduce health inequalities—so where you live doesn’t determine how long you live.