Does cardiac rehab favour the young over the old?

Posted on 5 August 2016

Researchers at the BHF Research Group in the Department of Health Sciences have been investigating whether cardiac rehabilitation programmes are inadvertently favouring younger patients over older ones in terms of reducing risk in cardiovascular disease.

The researchers, Patrick Doherty and Abdulrahman Al Quait, have published their findings in the journal Open Heart. They found that there were discrepancies between outcomes for people depending on their age. This is an important finding that patients, carers, health providers and health commissioners need to be aware of as it brings to light an inequality in NHS service outcomes for older patients.

The researchers believe that more appropriate tailoring of cardiac rehabilitation services can help overcome this situation.

Notes to editors:

Link to the full paper: Does cardiac rehabilitation favour the young over the old?
BHF Research Group
Department of Health Sciences
More information on Patrick Doherty and Abdulrahman Al Quait, the report's authors