A new report published by the European Heart Network (EHN) shows that death rates for coronary heart disease have declined by 46% in the UK since 2003.
However, despite this progress, the report shows that coronary heart disease remains the biggest single killer in Europe and across the UK, accounting for nearly 70,000 deaths each year in the UK.
The report also shows that more people are being diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. In 2015 in the UK there were 622,716 new cases of cardiovascular disease, up from 598,783 in 2010.
An increase in demand and an ageing population is resulting in spiralling costs for the NHS - with cardiovascular disease estimated to cost the UK healthcare system over £9 billion each year.
Commenting on the new data, Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, said:
"This analysis is a powerful reminder that cardiovascular disease still kills more people in the UK than any other disease group, despite the advances we've made in preventing and treating heart conditions through medical research.
"Nearly half (45%) of all deaths in Europe each year are caused by cardiovascular diseases. This shows the urgent need to fund more research towards faster, more accurate diagnosis and treatments, alongside work to help prevent people developing heart and circulatory diseases in the first place.”
