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# 300,000 Brits living with heart condition that could kill within five years
Without prompt treatment, it's estimated that up to 172,859 (59 per cent of the 300,000) will die from Aortic valve stenosis over the next five years to 2024
Around 300,000 Brits are living with a stealth disease which could kill them within five years, doctors have warned.
30 per cent of those people probably have no idea that they are affected since they do not show clear symptoms.
Aortic valve stenosis, or AS, is a heart condition that hardly shows no symptoms until it’s already too late.
The condition is when the heart's aortic valve narrows, blocking or reducing blood flow from the heart into the main artery to the body.
[This can give rise to chest pain, dizziness, fatigue, or a rapid, fluttering heartbeat in more life-threatening cases.
Some people are more prone to getting it, such as those with high blood pressure, diabetes, heart conditions from birth, or those of older age.
According to researchers in UK and Australia who set out to estimate how many people could be living with the condition, the overall prevalence of severe aortic stenosis among the people over the age of 55 in the UK in 2019 could be almost 1.5 per cent.
This is equal to around 300,000 at any one time.
Just under 200,000 (68 per cent) were symptomatic, while the remaining 90,000 (32 per cent) had a “silent” case of the condition.
These will probably not be diagnosed unless they are being checked for another problem.
Without prompt treatment, it's estimated that up to 172,859 (59 per cent of the overall total) will die over the next five years to 2024.
That’s equal to 35,000 people every year, according to the findings released in the journal Open Heart.
Almost 10,000 of these deaths will be among 55–64 year olds.
The researchers, led by Geoffrey Strange, a cardiologist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, said: “In conclusion, this study suggests that severe [aortic stenosis] is a common condition affecting many individuals within the UK population aged 55 [and older].
“Without appropriate detection and intervention, their survival prospects are likely to be poor.”