Revealed: High Black Country heart disease rates

Unhealthy lifestyle and consuming too much fatty food is a major cause of coronary heart disease - the biggest cause of heart attacks, the British Heart Foundation says.

The Black Country shows some of the highest levels of death of heart disease amongst those aged 75 and under.

Sandwell had the highest rate with an average of 139 premature heart deaths, followed by Walsall with 126, Dudley with 123, and Wolverhampton with 106.

In Staffordshire, there were 41 early heart attack deaths in Cannock Chase, 39 in Stafford, 32 in South Staffordshire, and 42 in Lichfield.

Heart attacks kill nearly 2,100 people prematurely each year in the West Midlands with the British Heart Foundation estimating that more than 22,000 people under the age of 75 suffering a fatal attack.

Researchers say that coronary heart disease is the biggest cause.

Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Through medical research, we've made great progress in saving the lives of people suffering from heart attacks. But we mustn't be lulled into thinking we've beaten the disease. Every year thousands of people are still dying from heart attacks, and coronary heart disease remains the UK's single biggest killer.

"We urgently need to fund more research to find new ways to prevent and treat heart attacks, and ultimately, save more lives. Despite knowing some of the lifestyle and genetic factors that increase the risk of heart attack, we still have no way to stop the furring of the arteries in coronary heart disease that is responsible for causing so many heart attacks. This is a challenge that only research can provide the answer to."

Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, said: "Every week heart attacks devastate hundreds of families across the UK, by killing loved ones at an early age and leaving many others with debilitating heart conditions that make the rest of their life a daily struggle.

"The only way we can find new ways to prevent and treat heart attacks is by funding more research. "Thanks to the generous donations of our supporters, much of the research we've funded over the last 50 years is today helping to save and improve lives. We now need the continued backing of our supporters and the general public if we're to make the advances that could save even more lives from heart disease."

The figures have been released as the charity launches a new campaign to highlight how heart conditions, including heart attack, suddenly devastate families across the country on a daily basis.

A heart attack strikes someone every three minutes in the UK – with almost 188,000 heart attacks treated in UK hospitals in 2013/2014.

This figure is up from 175,000 the year before, which the charity says could be due to better diagnosis and recording. Despite improvements in treatment and diagnosis, around a third of heart attacks are fatal4.

Around 200,000 people in the West Midlands are living with coronary heart disease and it remains the UK's single biggest killer.

For more details go to bhf.org.uk/fightback