LONDON, May 13 (Xinhua) -- There has been an upward trend in the number of people dying from heart and circulatory diseases before they reach the age of 75 since 2014, according to figures released on Monday by the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
A total of 42,384 people died from conditions including heart attack and stroke before the age of 75 in 2017 in Britain, compared to 41,042 three years earlier, the figures showed.
The number of deaths caused by heart and circulatory diseases in under 65s is also increasing, peaking at 18,668 in 2017, up from 17,982 five years earlier. This represents a 4-percent rise in the last five years.
A significant slowdown in the rate of improvement in death rates per 100,000 people combined with a growing population is partly to blame, according to the BHF.
Heart and circulatory diseases remain a leading cause of death in Britain, with millions at risk because of conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, said Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the BHF.
"We need to work in partnership with governments, the NHS (National Health Service) and medical research community to increase research investment and accelerate innovative approaches to diagnose and support the millions of people at risk of a heart attack or stroke," added Gillespie.
