Overall
By Sex
By Age Group
By Deprivation
Ischaemic Heart Disease or IHD is characterized by a reduction in blood supplied to the heart caused by disease of the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle. The most common forms of IHD which result in hospitalizations are myocardial infarction (heart attack), atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and angina pectoris (chest pain). Diseases of the circulatory system, including IHD, were the leading cause of hospitalizations in Simcoe Muskoka in 2021. IHD accounted for approximately one-third of all circulatory system disease related hospitalizations in 2021.
The age-standardized hospitalization rate for IHD in Simcoe Muskoka for all ages and sexes in 2021 was 250 (238.9, 262.1) hospitalizations per 100,000 population, which was significantly higher than the Ontario rate of 235 (232.5, 237.3) hospitalizations per 100,000 population.
The IHD hospitalization rates dropped in 2020 by approximately 20% in Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario. In 2021, the Ontario rate remained constant while the Simcoe Muskoka dropped by another 6%. It is unclear why the local pattern was different from the provincial average and if this sustained decrease in the local rates was due to changes in health care use and access during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The IHD hospitalization rates in both Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario had been declining significantly from 2003 to 2019, with an average decrease in the rates of approximately five per cent per year; however, the pace of this decline has slowed since 2009. The rates in Simcoe Muskoka were significantly higher than the provincial rates each year over this 17-year period.
By Sex
In 2021, the age-standardized IHD hospitalization rate among Simcoe Muskoka males was 364 (343.9, 384.5) hospitalizations per 100,000, which was nearly twice the female rate of 143 hospitalizations per 100,000.
The 2020 IHD hospitalization rates dropped by about 20% among Simcoe Muskoka males and females. In 2021, the rates dropped again for both males and females in Simcoe Muskoka by less than 10%. From 2003 to 2019, the IHD hospitalization rates for males and females in Simcoe Muskoka decreased significantly with the male rates being significantly and substantially higher than the females rates over the entire period.

By Age Group
Hospitalizations for IHD increase significantly with age. The age-specific rate for IHD hospitalizations between 2017 and 2021 (combined) in Simcoe Muskoka was highest among those 75 years and older at 1,450 (1,403, 1,499) hospital discharges per 100,000 population (75+). The age-specific IHD Hospitalization rates in Simcoe Muskoka were significantly higher than their respective provincial rates for all age groups among adults 20 years of age and older.

By Deprivation
For the period from 2017 to 2021 (combined), Simcoe Muskoka residents living in areas with the highest amount of material deprivation (as measured by the 2016 Ontario Marginalization Index) had significantly higher rates of IHD hospitalizations when compared with those living in areas with the least amount of material deprivation.

Page last updated February 15, 2023