A NEW report has revealed the most deadly diseases in the Tamworth area.
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According to figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), heart disease accounted for more than 15 per cent of deaths in the Tamworth Regional Council local government area in the last five years.
The rate of coronary related deaths in Tamworth was 31 per cent higher than the national average.
Strokes, dementia, lung cancer and pulmonary diseases accounted for the rest of the five most deadly diseases in the Tamworth area between 2012 and 2016.
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Diabetes contributed to more deaths than suicide in the last five years, while the rate of prostate cancer related deaths in Tamworth was 38 per cent higher than the national average.
While diabetes was the tenth-highest killer in Tamworth, which has some of the highest obesity rates in the country, the rates of death were 17 per cent lower than the national average.
Melanoma was responsible for 1.7 per cent of male deaths, however it didn’t rank in the top 20 for women.
Rates of breast cancer deaths were three per cent lower than the national average.
Heart disease was the biggest killer for those aged between 45-64 and people over the age of 75. Heart attacks are a distinct second among those aged between 65 and 74, as that is the age you are most likely to succumb to lung cancer.
Among those aged between 15 to 44, suicide was the most common cause of death.
If you are troubled by this report or experiencing a personal crisis, you can call Lifeline 131 114 or beyondblue 1300 224 636 or visit lifeline.org.au or beyondblue.org.au
With smh.com.au, Craig Butt, Nigel Gladstone & Soren Frederiksen