Scottish deaths from stroke and heart disease drop

The number of deaths from heart disease and stroke have both plummeted by a third in a decade.

Maureen Watt said news of the drop was encouraging. Picture: Jon Savage

Coronary heart disease rates, Scotland’s leading cause of illness and death, fell by 25 per cent since 2006, while deaths dropped by 36 per cent in that time.

Mortality rates for stroke have fallen by 33 per cent in the same period.

Maureen Watt, public health minister, said: “Heart disease and stroke are two of the most significant causes of death in Scotland, so it’s clearly encouraging to see that mortality rates are continuing to fall.

“These figures show that our strategy for tackling heart disease and stroke is delivering real improvements for patients.”

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