Ireland's biggest killer is circulatory disease, according to a Central Statistics Office (CSO) report released today.
The quarterly Vital Statisticsreport showed that in the first quarter of 2007 diseases of the circulatory system - including high blood pressure, heart disease and conditions caused by disease of the veins - caused 36 per cent of deaths.
The second biggest cause of death was cancer. Mortality by this disease totalled 2,937 and was highest among over 65s. The death rate for this age group climbs during this period of the year, according to records for the past nine years.
The number of people living beyond 65 years has dropped by 286 compared with the same period last year, the report showed.
It also found that the average age of women giving birth has increased to 31, with the average age of first-time mothers at 28.
A total of 88 suicides were recorded in the first quarter of 2007, 25 per cent of which were by people in their mid 20s to mid-30s. The figures showed that 80 per cent of suicides involved males.