NI heart disease toll falling

Heart disease in NI is a third of what it once was

The rate of coronary heart disease in Northern Ireland has dropped substantially in the last 25 years according to new figures released.

The statistics, issued by the British Heart Foundation on Wednesday, show deaths among men and women are down to just over a third of what they once were.

Coronary heart disease is the most common cause of death in the UK accounting for around 125,000 deaths every year: approximately one in four deaths in men and one in six deaths in women.

For every 100,000 men in the population aged between their mid 30s and mid 70s in 1978, over 650 would die of heart disease.

Snapshot

The figure for that age group now stands at under 230.

The rate of heart disease among women shows a similar drop.

From over 230 deaths in that age range, the statistics now suggest about 80 deaths.

The figures also give a snapshot of the 26 district council areas across the province.

According to that, men in the Cookstown area of County Tyrone are at highest risk of dying of heart disease, while the the worst place for women is Ards, in County Down.

The district with the lowest rates of heart deaths for both men and women is the Moyle area of County Antrim.

The tables also show people in the province have the highest consumption of salt in the UK and the lowest consumption of fruit.