A study, carried out across Europe, shows the largest decreases in mortality rates were in Denmark, Malta, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK.

Almost all countries in the EU have demonstrated very large and significant decreases in death rates from coronary heart disease in the last three decades among both men and women when all ages were considered together. In many countries, age-standardised mortality rates in 2005–09 were less than half what they were in 1980–84.

In Malta, the age-standardised mortality per 100,000 (five year average rates) in males dropped from 409 deaths in 1980-1984 to 174 deaths in the period of 2005-2009. In females, deaths dropped from 252 in 1980-1984 to 95 in 2005-2009. The 25-year crude total percentage change was a decrease of 62% in deaths among women and 57% among men in Malta.

Researchers say better drugs and less smoking have helped improve trends, however cardiovascular diseases (predominantly coronary heart disease and stroke), remain the main cause of death in most European countries, and many risk factors for CHD, particularly obesity, have been increasing substantially.

Statistics given by the Health Ministry in 2010 showed that 40% of deaths in Malta were caused by cardiovascular diseases and 80% of cardiovascular deaths around the world can be prevented.

It is hypothesised that observed reductions in coronary heart disease mortality have occurred largely within older age groups, and that rates in younger groups may be plateauing or increasing as the gains from reduced smoking rates are increasingly cancelled out by increasing rates of obesity and diabetes.

The aim of this study was consequently to examine sex-specific trends in coronary heart disease mortality between 1980 and 2009 in the EU and compare trends between adult age groups.

Fifteen countries showed evidence of a recent plateauing of trends in at least one age group for men, as did 12 countries for women. This did not however, appear to be any more common in younger age groups compared with older adults. There was little evidence to support the hypothesis that mortality rates have recently begun to plateau in younger age groups in the EU as a whole, although such plateaux and even a small number of increases in coronary heart disease mortality in younger subpopulations were observed in a minority of countries.

The scientists have concluded it remains vitally important for the whole EU to monitor and work towards reducing preventable risk factors for coronary heart disease and other chronic conditions to promote wellbeing and equity across the region.