Foyle has highest rate of heart disease

Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke say the Foyle area has seen improvements in its heart health in recent years however there are more circulatory deaths than deaths from cancer or respiratory illnesses.

In a recently published profile for the Foyle constituency it was revealed that the average annual death rate for circulatory illnesses, between 2008 and 2012, was 374 per 100,000 people.

Fidelma Carter, Public Health Director for local health charity Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke commented: “It is good to see statistics on circulatory deaths highlighted in this way, but it is disappointing that they are higher than deaths from cancer or respiratory illnesses.

“The death rate from heart disease decreased by 9% from 2011 to 2014 and the number of people on the Coronary Heart Disease Register, i.e. people living with a heart condition, decreased to 4,003.

“As a charity, our vision is a Northern Ireland free of chest heart and stroke illnesses. Despite the death rate decreasing, we still want to ensure everyone is aware of the symptoms of a heart attack. There are 12 heart attacks in Northern Ireland every day with three people sadly dying.”

You can get more information about heart disease and how to prevent it on www.nichs.org.uk/heart