Heart disease deaths are not increasing in Morecambe Bay
Hundreds of under-75s have died from stroke and heart disease in Morecambe Bay in recent years, new figures show. It comes after a British Heart Foundation report revealed deaths from cardiovascular diseases in the UK among under-75s have risen for the first time in more than 40 years. Public Health England data shows 363 people under the age of 75 in the NHS Morecambe Bay CCG area died from heart disease between 2015 and 2017, the latest period for which data is available. It means a death rate of 37 in every 100,000 for the area, which is a 19% reduction on the death rate in 2011-13. This is an improvement on the previous six-year period - when the mortality rate dropped by 15% - and bucks the national trend. Likewise, 141 people died from stroke in 2015-17 - a death rate of 14 in 100,000. This is an 11% drop from 2011-13, compared to -4% over the previous six years. The BHF also says historic reductions in mortality rates have “slowed to a near standstill”.