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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Denis Campbell Health policy editor

NHS prevents thousands of strokes with blood-thinning drug push

Hand holding pile of tablets.
About 460,000 people in England with atrial fibrillation have begun taking blood-thinning drugs to reduce stroke risk. Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/PA

Thousands of lives have been saved by giving blood-thinning drugs to people with a heart condition that puts them at risk of a stroke, according to the head of the NHS.

Since January 2022, about 460,000 people in England who suffer from atrial fibrillation (AF) – a dangerously irregular heart rate – have begun taking one of four anticoagulant drugs that are proven to reduce stroke risk.

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