People are being encouraged to know their cholesterol and blood pressure numbers as well as they know their bank Pin code – because it could save their life.
These numbers flag up early signs of cardiovascular disease, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Forty health organisations have teamed up to urge more people to go for a routine NHS health check.
Doctors should also identify and treat at-risk patients better, they say.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) causes one in four deaths in England, the equivalent of someone dying every four minutes, according to Public Health England and NHS England.
Poor heart and artery health can also lead to heart failure, kidney disease, arterial disease and vascular dementia.
So, health bodies are leading efforts to improve the detection and treatment of three conditions that contribute to CVD – atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure and high cholesterol – over the next 10 years.
These conditions often have no symptoms, which is why health experts are recommending people aged over 40 take up a free NHS health check.
These can be booked at GP surgeries. They are also available at some local pharmacies and shopping centres.
PHE recommends checking your local area to find out where they are being offered.
People over 30 are being urged to take the Heart Age Test.
