Deaths from heart disease in Europe are falling, researchers say today.
In some EU countries death rates from heart disease have more than halved since the early 1980s, say Dr Nick Townsend of Oxford University, UK, and colleagues.
Rates of heart disease mortality across most of Europe are falling, partly due to declines in risk factors such as smoking, say the researchers in today’s (26 June) European Heart Journal. But they warn that coronary heart disease and stroke remain the top cause of death.
The team set out to look at the rates within different age groups, to see whether the gains from reduced smoking rates are being cancelled out by increasing obesity and diabetes in younger people. They analysed figures from 1980 and 2009 taken from the WHO global mortality database.
This showed that heart disease mortality in 2009 was less than half the 1980 rate in many countries, including for younger adult age groups. "Trends in mortality rates vary markedly between EU countries," the team reports, "but less so between age groups and sexes within countries."
There were some signs of the drop in rates reaching a plateau, but across all age groups equally.
In conclusion, the team writes: "There was little evidence to support the hypothesis that mortality rates have recently begun to plateau in younger age groups in the EU as a whole."
Simon Gillespie of the British Heart Foundation commented: "The picture of heart disease mortality may be improving but we’re an awful long way from back-patting and hand-clapping.
"After such rapid and far-reaching reforms to our healthcare system, it’s now vitally important politicians and clinicians don’t lose sight of the fact that coronary heart disease is still the UK’s single biggest killer."
Nichols, M. et al. Trends in age-specific coronary heart disease mortality in the European Union over three decades: 1980-2009. European Heart Journal 26 June 2013 doi:10.1093/eurheartj/eht159
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