Heart disease and stroke deaths fall in Scotland

The stroke mortality rate in Scotland has fallen, official figures show

Mortality rates for two of Scotland's biggest killers, stroke and heart disease, have fallen in the past decade.

Deaths rates from heart disease between 2004/05 and 2013/14 dropped by 43%, according to official figures.

The number of people dying after a stroke also decreased by 41%.

The Scottish government said the figures showed its strategy for tackling heart disease was working.

Figures from ISD Scotland found the gap in death rates between the most and least deprived communities had narrowed by 33%.

For patients admitted to hospital with their first heart attack, the chances of surviving at least 30 days have risen from 85% to 92% over the same period.

Clinical priority

The figures also show a 30% drop in the number of new cases of heart disease.

In 2013 there were 7,239 deaths in Scotland where coronary heart disease was the underlying cause.

Treating and preventing heart disease is a national clinical priority for Scotland.

Public Health Minister Maureen Watt welcomed the figures.

"It's tremendous news that fewer people are developing heart disease or suffering strokes, and that fewer people are dying," she said.

"I'm also encouraged to see that health inequalities are reducing in this area, with the gap in mortality rates between the most deprived and least deprived communities falling over time."