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Concern raised over female deaths from heart disease

01/05/2008

Health campaigners have expressed concern with research showing that the fall in the number of women dying from heart disease appears to be slowing down.

A study by scientists at Oxford University found that the rate of improvement in deaths from coronary heart disease (CHD) appears to be beginning to decline and could be reversing among women aged under 50.

Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said this could be a result of rising obesity levels and high rates of smoking among young women.

"While we have seen a welcome decline in early deaths from heart attacks in recent years, it's worrying that this BHF research group has found women under 50 seem to be bucking the trend," he added.

"It's a common misconception that heart disease is a male problem, yet cardiovascular disease is the biggest cause of premature death in women.

"Heart disease should be a very real issue for all women, and younger generations must take action now to cut down their risk."

The CHD research, published in the journal BMC Public Health, also found that although deaths from CHD continue to fall in older age groups, the burden of CHD is increasing due to the ageing of the population.

"CHD mortality rates of those younger than 60 are worse for those born in the early 20th century than for those born in the 19th," the study concludes.

"If this trend in younger age groups is not halted the burden of coronary heart disease is likely to increase."