The number of heart operations increased

The number of people in Scotland being diagnosed with heart disease has gone down, while more major heart operations are being carried out by the NHS.

The statistics for the 12 months to the end of March 2002 were included in a report by NHS Scotland's Information and Statistics Division (ISD).

Figures on waiting lists and times for heart disease patients are not due to be released until Thursday.

Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm described the figures as "encouraging", but said improvements still have to be made.

He said: "The long-term decline in deaths from coronary heart disease is continuing and fewer new cases are being diagnosed.

"There is still much work to be done if we are to improve Scotland's shameful health record, but the figures are moving in the right direction."

Bypass grafts

According to the report, death rates from heart disease fell by almost 8% from almost 173 per 100,000 people in 2000/2001 to just over 159 per 100,000 in 2001/2002.

The figures also show that compared to 2000/2001 the incidence of people newly diagnosed with heart disease in Scotland in 2001/2002 fell by 3.4% in men and 2.7% in women.

There was a 6.3% increase in the number of revascularisation procedures - coronary artery bypass grafts and coronary angioplasties - from 5,472 to 6,105.

In the 12 months to the end of March 2002, 16,807 Scots were treated for heart attacks and 33,487 for other cardiac complaints.

Scotland has the highest death rate from heart disease in the EU and the Scottish Executive has vowed to reduce the number of deaths under 75 to 50% of 1995 levels by 2010.