§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in England suffer from coronary heart disease; and what proportion of the overall population these represent. [127446]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonNationally representative figures on the prevalence of heart disease and its risk factors are available from the Health Survey for England. Although the definition of coronary heart disease as such is not used in the Health Survey for England, the survey reports the prevalence of ischaemic heart disease which is defined as ever having angina or a heart attack, confirmed by a doctor. The most recent estimates of the prevalence of ischaemic heart disease were published in "The Health Survey for England—Cardiovascular Disease 1998", table 2.2, a copy of which is available in the Library.