Heart attacks less likely to be fatal but more people have heart problems

The number of men dying from heart and artery disease has plummeted 70% since 1980, while the drop for women is 61%, the Dutch heart foundation said on Monday.

Nevertheless, the number of people with chronic heart and artery disease continues to rise and 1.4 million people are now affected, the Hartstichting said. Without action, their number will total 1.9 million by 2030.

In the 1980s one in every heart attack or stroke was fatal, but now the figure in one in four. In 2017, 20,000 women and 18,000 men died because of a stroke, heart failure or a heart attack.

The death rate has been cut by new medical techniques, more emphasis on healthy diets and the importance of exercise and the fact that more people are skilled in first aid and know what to do if someone suffers a heart attack, the foundation said.