Heart disease deaths rise 10%

STATISTICS showing a 10% increase in deaths from cardiovascular disease are alarming, the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) said yesterday.

Provisional figures issued from the Central Statistics Office show that 2,937 people died from cardiovascular disease during the first three months of this year, compared with 2,665 for the same period last year.

Over the past 20 years the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease, Ireland’s biggest killer, have been falling steadily.