A new survey suggests thousands of adults in the UK are risking their heart health because they lack awareness of the warning signs of cardiac disease.

Over 2,000 people participated in the British Heart Foundation survey, which found that only two percent of those polled were fearful of developing coronary heart disease (CHD), despite it being the nation’s number one killer.

There are currently seven million people living with cardiovascular disease in the UK. CHD is responsible for approximately 73,000 deaths in the country each year, an average of 200 deaths every day.

According to the answers found on the survey, 90 percent of people wrongly assume that there are symptoms associated with high blood pressure. High blood pressure is known as a “silent killer” specifically because it can cause stroke or heart attack without showing any symptoms. The British Heart Foundation believes that there are nearly seven million people in the UK who have high blood pressure and are unaware of it.

Fifty percent of those polled didn’t understand the association between diabetes and an increased risk of developing CHD. About 19 percent weren’t aware that CHD can be caused by smoking, and over 34 percent didn’t know smoking can cause a stroke. Ten percent admitted they didn’t know how to properly care for their heart health.

Dr. Mike Knapton, Associate Medical Director at BHF, stresses the importance of taking control of heart health, and being educated on what it takes to improve overall health to enjoy a long, healthy life.

“Your heart is the most vital organ in your body, but all too often we take it for granted. Despite being a largely preventable condition, coronary heart disease is still the UK’s single biggest killer, causing unnecessary heartache for thousands of families,” said Knapton in a statement.