It comes as poorer people across England are increasingly more likely to die early from these conditions. The British Heart Foundation, which conducted the research, said the nation was "in the grip of a historic heart crisis", and called for every party to make heart disease a priority ahead of the General Election. Data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows there were an average of 736 deaths linked to cardiovascular disease from 2020 to 2022 in Dorset.
This was an increase from 717 in 2017 to 2019. This gave it a rate of 54 premature deaths per 100,000 people, lower than the English average of 79. Since 2019, the most deprived areas have seen deaths increase at more than twice the rate of the least deprived.
The poorest 10% of England has a rate of 109 deaths per 100,000, compared with 50 per 100,000 in the wealthiest 10% of areas. This has increased from 94 per 100,000 in the most deprived areas and 45 per 100,000 in the least deprived in 2019. Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the BHF, said: "We’re in the grip of a historic heart crisis.
"Without urgent action, the heart health gap between the richest and poorest will continue to grow even wider. More people will lose loved ones to heart disease through no fault of their own. "This isn’t a problem that can be solved overnight, but we can start making progress if politicians make heart disease a key health priority.
" Men living in the most deprived parts of England saw the biggest incre.