The number of people dying young from heart attacks and strokes in Warwickshire has hit its highest level in seven years.
New NHS figures show 154 people aged under 65 were killed by circulatory diseases in Warwickshire in 2016.
That works out as one in 4,688 people in that age group.
It is a rise from 139 in 2015, 135 in 2014 and 142 in 2013.
The figure has not been higher since 2009, when it stood at 159.
In Coventry, the number of deaths fell from 103 in 2015 to 88 in 2016.
The data covers all cases where circulatory diseases were the underlying cause of death.
Circulatory diseases includes heart disease and cerebrovascular diseases - including strokes and aneurysms - as well as acute
rheumatic fever and other conditions.
Risk factors include high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, lack of exercise, and obesity.
Genetic factors also make a significant difference.
Stop smoking and lose weight
Alexandra Preston, Head of Healthy Hearts at Heart Research UK, said: “There are things that we can all do to reduce our risk of
cardiovascular diseases.
“Age, gender and family history we can’t control, but by moving more, eating a balanced diet, losing weight, reducing smoking and reducing stress, we can reduce our risk.
“These can in turn also reduce high blood pressure, again reducing our risk.
“Young people specifically need to think about their future.
“You only get one body so it needs to be treated with respect.
“Fewer manual jobs and more office-based roles mean that the current working generation are the first who need to make a conscious decision to build physical activity into their daily lives.
“Out of home consumption has increased too, with more fat, salt and sugar in our diets than ever before.”
Across England as a whole, 14,798 people under the age of 65 died from circulatory diseases in 2016.
That was a slight increase compared to 14,703 the previous year.
Data for 2017 is not yet available and will be released next year.
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