DISEASES OF THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM (I00-I99)
Deaths caused by Diseases of the circulatory system (I00-I99) accounted for 621 (25.2%) deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons in 2012. The two most common types of circulatory system diseases that contributed to deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons were Ischaemic heart diseases (I20-I25) and Cerebrovascular diseases (I60-I69).
The leading cause of death of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians was Ischaemic heart diseases, which includes angina, blocked arteries of the heart and heart attacks. It accounted for 338 deaths in 2012. The mortality rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians was nearly twice the rate of non-Indigenous Australians (164.8 per 100,000 population compared with 78.9 per 100,000).
Cerebrovascular disease (I60-I69), which includes haemorrhages, strokes, infarctions and blocked arteries of the brain, accounted for 108 deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons in 2012. The death rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians was 1.5 times the rate of non-Indigenous Australians (66.9 per 100,000 and 43.4 per 100,000).