Heart attack leading cause of death in Warrnambool area

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's Mortality Over Regions and Time report revealed 106 males and 80 females died from coronary heart disease between 2017 and 2021.

This accounted for 14.2 per cent of all deaths in the local government area.

The second leading cause of death for males was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - with 41 deaths and in the five-year period.

Dementia - including Alzheimer's disease - was the second leading cause of female deaths, with 74 recorded in the period.

Prostate was the third leading cause of death for males, with 38 deaths, while cerebrovascular disease was the third leading cause of death for females (61).

Two south-west residents know that heart disease can strike at any age.

Allansford's Dale Edwards, 60, mistook the signs of a heart attack as heartburn in February last year and drove himself to hospital.

His wife Carolyn was shocked when she received a call hours later advising her that her husband was being rushed to Geelong hospital after suffering a heart attack.

Mr Edwards had two stents put in and suffered another heart attack when he returned home from hospital.

"I thought I was pretty healthy," he said.

"Every now and then I had what I thought was heart burn and pain across my shoulders."

Mr Edwards has returned to work, but the former truck driver has had a career change.

He now works at the Warrnambool racecourse.

Mr Edwards urged people to get regular check-ups and don't ignore symptoms.

"If you have any of those symptoms, go straight to the hospital and get checked out," he said.

"I'm very lucky to be here."

Warrnambool's Rickie Lee Nesbitt also knows she is lucky to be alive.

The 43-year-old underwent a triple bypass two years ago.

Ms Nesbitt said she was experiencing tight pains in the chest, was short of breath, shoulder pain, pins and needles in her arm, nausea and vomiting for two days.

However, she ignored these symptoms and woke one morning in September last year feeling extremely unwell.

"I felt like I had an elephant sitting on my chest and my whole left arm was numb," Ms Nesbitt said.

Ms Nesbitt urged people to get help if they are experiencing symptoms.

"I was having heart attacks for two days before I took it seriously and went to ED - I am very lucky to be here," she said.

The fourth leading cause of death for males in the local government area was dementia (35), while lung cancer accounted for the fourth highest number of female deaths (40).

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