Trends in coronary heart disease mortality

Trends in coronary heart disease mortality: age groups and populations has just been published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.  It looks at differing trends in the decline of CHD mortality amongst age groups, Aboriginal and TSI status, geographic location and socioeconomic status. Some of the findings were:

• For men and women aged 70 years and over, who are most at risk of CHD death, mortality declines have continued to improve and are currently -5.1% per year.  
• CHD mortality rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain higher than for other Australians 
• Overall trends in CHD mortality decline were less favourable among people living in the most remote areas of Australia 
• Overall trends in CHD mortality decline were less favourable among the lowest socioeconomic group
• For men and women in younger age groups, the CHD mortality gap narrowed between the lowest and highest SES groups, whereas the gap widened for those aged for 70 or over.