Men are more likely to die from a heart attack in Kerry than in other parts of Ireland, it has emerged.
Distance from and access to cardiac treatment services may be the reason for the higher number of deaths from heart attack in the county, according to a report by the director of public health for the Southern Health Board.
Inter-county differences between Cork and Kerry in deaths from heart attacks were "notable", the report said.
The conclusions are based on mortality rates from heart attack among men in the region.
Primary prevention, such as stopping smoking, taking exercise and maintaining a healthy diet, was one of the main factors in reducing all deaths from heart disease, Dr Mai Mannix, public health doctor, stressed.
Heart disease was not as common among women, she said. "Men and especially younger men (under 65) living in Kerry were more likely to die from heart attacks than either Cork or \ Irish men," the report stated.
This may be related to access difficulties for cardiac treatment services, it said.
In Cork, between the years 1996 and 2000 the standard mortality rate for males under the age of 65 was over one third above the national average, while in Cork the standard death rate from heart attack among the under-65s was below the State average.
Figures were also higher for deaths from heart attack among older men and the trend was continuing.
In 2001 the rates for heart attack death among men of all ages in Cork stood at 116 per 100,000 population while in Kerry it stood at 141 per 100,000.
About half of the deaths from heart attack in the community occurred in the first two hours, emphasising the importance of a rapid response after the onset of symptoms, the report said.
A number of proposals, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation training programmes and pre-hospital cardiac care projects in areas far from hospitals, are being implemented in accordance with the views of the Cardiovascular Health Strategy Group.