Our national health is still hanging on by a heartbeat

Heart disease death rates have been decreasing in New Zealand, but not as fast as other western countries. Picture / Northern Advocate

Cardiovascular diseases are still the No 1 cause of death ahead of all forms of cancer, despite improved lifestyles and better primary care, says the Heart Foundation.

The cardiovascular death toll is also increasing for younger and middle-aged adults.

Foundation medical director Norman Sharpe says over the past 30 years coronary heart disease death rates have been reducing steadily in New Zealand, as in most Western countries. But they have fallen more steeply in Australia and the United States than in New Zealand.

Dr Sharpe said the decline here was not only due to primary prevention and improved lifestyles, but also because of treatment.

Despite that, cardiovascular diseases - diseases of the heart and circulation, including strokes - are still the country's main cause of death.

"If we look ahead and consider what might happen in the next 10-15 years and do a statistical guesstimate, the decline is probably flattening off and may actually be into an upswing," Dr Sharpe said.

Hospital admissions for heart attack have also increased in the past 10 to 15 years.

"That increase is in all age groups including relatively-younger people. Based on the projection ahead, people born in the 60s and 70s, now young and middle-aged adults, are starting to die at an increased rate of heart diseases compared with their predecessors."

He said the increased death rates and admissions of younger people could be related to more obesity and diabetes in the community.

Socio-economic, ethnic and geographic factors also influenced heart health risk.

"We have disparities in New Zealand which are quite large and embarrassing in terms of heart health risk and morbidity mortality differences."

Heart disease death rates for Maori men were four-times higher than for others in the middle-aged group.

And poor women were three to four times more likely to die of heart disease than affluent women in the middle-aged group.

"So we are talking Maori, poor people, women and then there is this access problem around the edges, particularly in the rural areas."

Access to cardiovascular health services in the east and west parts of the central North Island - Tairawhiti and Taranaki - was about a third of what it was in Canterbury and Otago, Dr Sharpe said.

The foundation was investing about $2 million a year in research projects, but Dr Sharpe said he wanted that doubled in the next three years.

He said he had no ready answers for coronary heart disease death rates falling more steeply in Australia than in New Zealand.

"We don't really know why that is. Perhaps they are more vigorous with intervention, with treatment than we are."

He said both countries were comparable in terms of public health preventive efforts.

"We talk and do the same things but when it comes to management, they are more vigorous and interventionist and they actually spend more on treatment than we do per capita."

New immigrants were also showing up for obesity and diabetes.

South Asian people were susceptible, particularly Indians.

TICKED FOR HEALTH

* About 950 products have the health heart Tick.

* Every product is tested in an independent, accredited laboratory to prove it meets the criteria.

* New Zealand Laboratory Services (formerly Gribbles Analytical) and AgriQuality say their tests are based on strict methods and undergo rigorous scrutiny.

* Packaging and promotional material featuring the Tick products has to be approved by the Heart Foundation to ensure nutritional accuracy.

* Random testing on products is regularly carried out by the Heart Foundation to ensure products comply with the standards.

* The programme aims to reduce levels of saturated fat, trans-fat and sodium, and increase fibre levels and reduce calories in some foods.

- NZPA