PEOPLE living in the North East are more likely to die from heart disease than their southern counterparts, a new report has shown.
Figures published today by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has revealed that more than 3,100 people in the region die from the condition each year.
Death rates in the North East are particularly high and among the worst in the country – only marginally eclipsed by the North West – with those living in the South East least likely to succumb to the disease.
The mortality rate for the region is 193.99 per 100,000 people. The worst area is County Durham with 906 deaths each year, followed by Northumberland at 629 and Sunderland at 418. Professor Stephen Singleton OBE, medical director at NHS North of England, said that over the past decade the number of people dying from heart disease in the North East has reduced faster than anywhere else in the country due to the reduction in the number of people smoking and better care for people who have heart attacks.
He said: “There is still however much work to be done to close the gap with the rest of the country. In the North East for example, we still have some of the highest rates of smoking, alcohol abuse and obesity in England, with people putting themselves at much increased risk through poor diet and lack of sufficient exercise.
“There are many ways the NHS can help reduce your risk of heart disease, from stop smoking services to advice on healthy eating and exercise and I would urge people to contact their GP. ” The figures published by the BHF’s Coronary Heart Disease Statistics 2012 give a snapshot of the state of the nation’s heart health.
Every year 68,499 men and women in England lose their lives to heart disease – the country’s single biggest killer.
The condition is usually caused by a build-up of fatty deposits on the walls of the coronary arteries and the issue is of huge concern to health professionals around the country.
Heart attack survivor Dave Storey, 64, from Cochrane Park, Newcastle, had a triple heart bypass 15 years ago and suffered another heart attack more than a year ago.
