In The News

Heart attack deaths continue to fall in Northern Ireland

Heart attack deaths continue to fall in Northern Ireland

A LEADING charity has said that while the number of people dying from heart attacks in Northern Ireland has fallen, more needs to be done to help survivors.

Figures released by the British Heart Foundation show that since 1981 the number of deaths from heart disease have more than halved. Thirty years ago more than 4,900 people died of heart disease, but the BHF found that in 2011 the number of deaths had dropped to just under 2,000 — 1,100 men and 800 women.

But while the death-rate is down the charity has said that 23,000 people are still living with heart failure in Northern Ireland. In many cases, damage caused by a heart attack can result in heart failure.

The British Heart Foundation’s medical director, Professor Peter Weissberg, has spoken of the need to find ways of reversing this damage.

He said: “It is pleasing that research has contributed to the dramatic fall in heart attack deaths over recent years. But this means that more and more people are surviving heart attacks with damaged hearts and there is now an urgent need to find ways of reversing that damage.”

Professor Weissberg is clear on what is need to tackle the problem: “Our scientists are making great strides in this fight against heart failure, but success will require much more money and much more research to ensure that this momentum is not lost.”

To find out more about the British Heart Foundation’s work in Northern Ireland and how to make a donation to the charity, click here.

To view a British Heart Foundation TV advertisement for its Hands-only CPR campaign, featuring Vinnie Jones, click here.

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