Prevalence of CHD was measured in the 1994, 1998 and 2003 Health Surveys for England. Overall, between 1994 and 2003, the prevalence of CHD increased from 6.0% to 7.4% in men and from 4.1% to 4.5% in women. An increase in the prevalence of CHD or stroke was also observed in the Health Survey for England, increasing from 7.1% to 9.1% in men and from 5.2% to 6.3% in women between 1994 and 2003.  These increases were found in the majority of age groups in both men and women, with the most consistent increases in the oldest age group (75 years and over).  However, these results are based on unweighted prevalence rates and need to be interpreted with caution..

Longitudinal data from the General Household Survey show that since 1988 there has been no marked change in the overall rate of self-reported morbidity from a previous heart attack.  However, rates of self-reported longstanding cardiovascular disease have increased in older age groups since 1988; by around 35% in those aged 65-74 and 27% in those aged 75 and over.

In summary, the surveys which have looked at morbidity most reliably and/or most frequently, i.e. the Health Survey for England and the General Household Survey, suggest that, whereas mortality from CHD is rapidly falling, morbidity, particularly in older age groups, appears to be rising.