'My husband shouldn't have died from a heart attack at 48'
The widow of a police officer who died of a heart attack aged 48 said there was "no reason" why he should have succumbed to an unknown cardiac defect.
Craig Higgins, from Sowerby Bridge, in West Yorkshire, was on duty with Greater Manchester Police when he collapsed in 2022.
According to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), there has been a 23% increase in the number of 20-64-year-olds dying of heart and circulatory diseases in Yorkshire since 2019.
Senior cardiac nurse Julie Ward said: "It is significant, the figures are quite shocking. It's a very complex situation, there isn't one factor that's caused it. It's multi-factor."
Dawn Higgins said her husband and the father of her two children appeared fit and healthy and took regular exercise, but had developed a thickening of the heart wall, which made it more difficult for the organ to pump blood around the body.
"He ran a bit, walked his dog every day, didn't have an unhealthy lifestyle. He didn't smoke or drink excessively, was not overweight. Statistically, there was no reason why he should have died."
Research by the BHF also found that in Yorkshire and the Humber there had been a 17% rise in the number of people diagnosed with heart failure in recent years, from 59,320 in 2020 to 69,190.
Another woman who lost her seemingly healthy and active partner is Melissa Antons, whose fiancé, Joe Banks, from Holmfirth, died aged 32 from a cardiac arrest caused by an aortic aneurysm while competing in a half-marathon in Austria last September.
"He was wearing a Garmin watch on the day of the run with his heart rate on it. It all seemed fine, he was living a very healthy life. There were no indications really."
According to the BHF data, there has been an 11% rise in the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Melissa said she would like to see more routine screening for heart disease.
"Unfortunately you only notice when it's too late, especially with young people. There's a big need for earlier diagnosis."
She thinks screening should begin at the age of 30 to look at how the heart reacts to different tests, such a cycling or running.
Her sentiments are echoed by Dawn.
"Something that's occurred to me recently is perhaps there should be more routine testing. I don't know what age or criteria you'd have to be," she said.
"For example, we've got two sons and their dad has died unexpectedly of an undiagnosed condition. They've not been tested, surely there should be some screening."
The Department for Health has been approached for comment.
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Anger, tears and joy after a heart attack at 22
Screening to reduce cardiac arrests in young people
British Heart Foundation
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Benidorm warning as tourists risk £425 fine in new crackdown
Experts have warned that UK tourists heading for Benidorm face a £425 (€500) fine in a new rule crackdown. Experts at Mobility Solutions Direct are warning Benidorm tourists using mobility scooters that they could be fined as local authorities begin to crack down on who can use them. Benidorm is one of the most popular destinations for Brits, with over 600,000 visitors in 2024. But an alert has been shared via Facebook that Benidorm police are checking that mobility scooter drivers are insured. This follows complaints made last year of UK tourists driving mobility scooters at 'nearly 30-40 miles an hour'. Lee Cartwright, mobility scooter specialist at Mobility Solutions Direct has outlined what mobility scooter drivers should do to avoid getting hit with a £425 fine. READ MORE: Turkey 'highly risky' alert as Foreign Office updates UK advice READ MORE: Spain summer weather forecast could spell bad news for holidays Lee said: 'Benidorm is beloved by UK tourists, drawing millions of British visitors annually. However, the resort is facing issues due to its popularity, particularly with the increasing complaints about mobility scooters. Problems arise from people renting them just for fun. The local council has expressed a desire for these scooters to be used responsibly and only for genuine needs.' Get insurance: 'With more people making injury claims after scooter-related accidents, having insurance can offer vital protection. If you're involved in an accident and found to be at fault, you could be held personally responsible for covering costs such as compensation, repairs, and medical bills. In places like Benidorm, for example, the rules have already changed. All scooter hire companies must now provide third-party liability insurance to cover damage to other vehicles, property, or public roads. Don't use a scooter if not needed: 'People over the age of 55 are permitted to use mobility scooters, or younger if they have mobility issues. Mobility scooters are designed for those with walking difficulties. If you can walk safely without one and you don't have a permit for one, it is best not to ride a mobility scooter to avoid a fine.' Respect the speed limit: 'Most mobility scooters are designed with a speed limit for safe travel. For those with mobility issues using scooters on pavements, the maximum speed is 4 mph, which is about the same as a walking pace. Class 3 mobility scooters, intended for road use, can go up to 8 mph. In other regions, tourists should not exceed 12 mph and are required to wear a helmet.' Scooters are for single use only: 'Mobility scooters are intended for use by a single person. It is not permitted to carry another person on your mobility scooter, as doing so could cause the vehicle to tip over, leading to potential injuries for both you and your passenger.' Don't use a scooter while drunk: 'A majority of those using a scooter without permission are young British people who are using the vehicle to go clubbing rather than pay for a taxi. But this results in reckless driving, such as weaving through traffic, driving too closely to others, and failing to be aware of their surroundings. Riding a scooter while intoxicated is both hazardous and against the law, similar to driving a car under the influence.' Follow mobility scooter regulations: 'When operating a class 3 scooter, it's essential to ensure it is equipped with two separate functioning brakes. The scooter should weigh no more than 150kg without any load, and up to 200kg when carrying essential user equipment like medical supplies. It should feature front and rear lights along with reflectors, directional indicators capable of functioning as hazard warning signals, an audible horn and a rearview mirror.'
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Drug maker Indivior joins the flight from London share listings
Drug maker Indivior has become the latest major UK listed company to scrap its London share trading. The pharmaceuticals company, which has its UK headquarters in Slough, said it planned to cancel its secondary listing in London. Indivior only moved its primary listing to Nasdaq last June and now wants to sever all share trading links with the City. The move comes just a year after Invidior's board said it planned to keep the London listing "for as long as it is considered to be in the best interests of Indivior and its shareholders as a whole." Reasons given for scrapping the London listing following a review include the fact that 80% of the company's revenue is generated in America; trading on Nasdaq accounts for approximately 75% of total volumes across both exchanges; more than 70% of the share are now held by investors located in the U.S; and the elimination of 'the cost and complexity of maintaining a secondary listing.' Another major factor is that the company's biggest selling drug Sublocade, a treatment for helping opioid addicts reduce their dependence, has its biggest market in the US. Last year Sublocade accounted for $756 million of the company's total $1.2 billion sales. Indivior was spun out of its former parent company, the consumer products giant Reckitt Benckizer in 2014 as a free standing London listed company. The Virginia based company's chair David Wheadon, said:"We are pleased to announce this key milestone for Indivior following our evaluation period. A single primary listing on Nasdaq best reflects the profile of Indivior's business. 'We appreciate the support received from shareholders for this initiative and look forward to capitalizing on the expected benefits of this move, including reductions in cost and complexity." London has suffered a major outflow of listed companies over recent years in a blow to the prestige of the City. A total of 88 firms delisted or transferred their primary listing from the London Stock Exchange last year, the highest number since the financial crisis of 2008, according to auditor EY. Only 18 companies came on to the London market last year as the vital flow of small and growing businesses raising capital by listing their shares on the London stock market dried up. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
Tezepelumab Curbs Oral Corticosteroid Use in Severe Asthma
The addition of tezepelumab to standard treatment allowed half the adults with severe asthma to discontinue their use of oral corticosteroids (OCS) after 1 year, according to new data from nearly 300 individuals. Tezepelumab, a human monoclonal antibody, has been associated with reduction in the use of OCS in patients with OCS-dependent asthma, David J. Jackson, MD, professor and clinical director, Guy's Severe Asthma Centre at Guy's Hospital King's College London, London, England, and colleagues wrote in an abstract presented at American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2025 International Conference. Many patients with severe asthma take OCS, but previous research has shown associations between extended OCS use and increased risk for a range of side effects including osteoporosis and fractures, hypertension, and infections, and more strategies are needed to help these patients reduce OCS use, the researchers noted. 'We know prolonged oral corticosteroid use leads to adverse effects, including bone, cardiovascular, metabolic, gastrointestinal and psychiatric disorders, and adrenal insufficiency,' Jackson said in an interview. 'The WAYFINDER trial is a multicenter, open-label, single-arm trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of tezepelumab compared to placebo in severe asthma patients who require maintenance use of OCS alongside their standard treatment,' he said. A previous phase 3 OCS-sparing study known as SOURCE did not meet its primary endpoint, but patients with baseline blood eosinophil counts ≥ 150 cels/μL who received tezepelumab achieved a reduction in daily maintenance OCS (mOCS) dose compared with placebo patients, the researchers wrote in their abstract. 'The WAYFINDER trial was designed to accelerate data collection and specifically address the complexities in the SOURCE trial design that may have contributed to the result of the primary endpoint,' Jackson told Medscape Medical News . The WAYFINDER trial enrolled 298 adults with severe asthma who had received OCS for at least 3 months before starting the study. All participants received 210 mg of subcutaneous tezepelumab every 4 weeks for up to 52 weeks after a 4-week induction period. The co-primary endpoints were the proportion of patients who reduced their daily mOCS to 5 mg/d or less or discontinued OCS without loss of asthma control. A total of 273 patients completed the study; the mean baseline mOCS was 10.8 mg/d, and patients were assessed at 28 weeks and 52 weeks. Overall, 88.9% and 89.9% of patients reduced their mOCS to 5 mg/d or less by week 28 and week 52, respectively, while 32.2% and 50.3% discontinued OCS at these time periods, respectively. In a post hoc analysis, 82.2% of patients whose reason for systemic corticosteroids was related to adrenal insufficiency achieved an mOCS dose of 5 mg/d or less without loss of asthma control at week 52. The study was limited by the open-label design, but the safety profile was consistent with previous studies of tezepelumab, researchers said. A 2023 meta-analysis of safety data on tezepelumab for uncontrolled asthma showed that the most common adverse events were nasopharyngitis, headache, and bronchitis, and most AEs occurred within a month of starting tezepelumab. Rates of serious adverse events were lower in patients receiving tezepelumab than those receiving placebo in a pooled analysis. The standout findings from the study are the clinically meaningful reductions in maintenance OCS use or complete discontinuation achieved with tezepelumab among a broad severe asthma patient population, Jackson told Medscape Medical News . In addition, two thirds of participants remained exacerbation-free despite OCS dose reductions, and the OCS-sparing effect of tezepelumab was observed across pre-specified patient subgroups, including those defined by baseline blood eosinophil counts (BEC), fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) level and allergy status, Jackson said. 'These findings reinforce tezepelumab's efficacy in severe asthma as the first and only biologic targeting thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) with demonstrated efficacy for severe asthma patients across phenotypes and irrespective of biomarker levels including BEC, allergic status, and FeNO,' he said. Improving Short-Term Health and Long-Term Wellness 'For people living with severe asthma, achieving stable control and reducing or eliminating reliance on oral corticosteroids is a critical goal, not only for respiratory health but also for long-term well-being,' Jackson told Medscape Medical News . 'By showing the benefit of targeting TSLP at the top of the inflammatory cascade and controlling asthma effectively with tezepelumab, we may be able to reduce these risks from OCS and significantly improve control for patients living with severe asthma,' Jackson said. 'We look forward to sharing a manuscript in the future for the phase 3b WAYFINDER study,' he added. Support for Steroid-Sparing The current study highlights an important population: Patients with asthma who are dependent on OCS, said Sucharita Kher, MD, pulmonologist and vice chair of clinical operations and quality for the Department of Medicine at Tufts Medical Center, in an interview. The endpoint tapering OCS without loss of asthma control is clinically meaningful because of the known side effects of OCS, said Kher, who was not involved in the study. The results were not unexpected, but more details on whether patients with eosinophils below 150 cells/µL also benefitted from tezepelumab would be helpful, Kher noted. The data are exciting because they suggest another option for patients with OCS dependent asthma, said Kher. 'The data also guide clinicians to adopt a strategy to wean patients off OCS when on tezepelumab with the goal of reducing OCS exposure and hence, side effects of prolonged OCS use,' she said. 'We know that OCS have side effects and negative consequences on factors including bone health, blood pressure, and blood sugar control and infection risk,' she added. Potential barriers to expanding the use of tezepelumab for reducing OCS in asthma patients exist at the patient and healthcare systems levels, Kher told Medscape Medical News . Patient-level barriers include cost sharing, worry/hesitancy about injections, lack of specialty access, and patient health literacy, she said. In addition, healthcare system barriers include a lack of knowledge on the part of primary care providers, and even some specialty physicians, of the benefits of biologics for severe asthma, said Kher. Other potential challenges include limited infrastructure in clinician offices, such as trained personnel and staff to navigate prior auth/insurance mandates, pre-authorization barriers, and denials based on tiers by insurance companies, she noted. 'Overcoming the barriers requires a multipronged approach, improving awareness and education for healthcare professionals, improve access to specialty care for patients, and advocacy to reduce the processes for insurance approvals,' Kher said.
