New research from Aarhus University in Denmark shows that the risk of developing and dying from myocardial infarction has been cut by nearly half during the last 25 years. Better prevention and treatment methods may be an explanation for this trend.

2012.02.08 | AU Communication

A total number of 234,331 Danish patients with myocardial infarction were followed in a Danish nationwide population-based cohort study from 1984 through 2008. The results show that both incidence and mortality rates have decreased considerably:

“We found that the risk of dying within one month after diagnosis was reduced from a little over 30 per cent to just under 15 per cent, whereas the risk of dying within 12 months after diagnosis dropped from almost 16 down to 11 per cent”, says Dr. Sørensen, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital. The results were largely the same for men and women.

The remarkable results have just been published in the prestigious British Medical Journal.

Fewer patients suffer from myocardial infarction

Reduced death risk from myocardial infarction is not the only good news. Also the total number of admitted patients has dropped dramatically since the 1980s. During 1984-2008, the number of first-time hospitalizations for myocardial infarction decreased by 37 per cent for women and by 48 per cent for men.

Approximately 9,000 new cases of acute myocardial infarction were identified in 2009.

Better prevention and treatment

The decrease in mortality and number of hospitalised patients could have different explanations.

New research shows that the mortality rate for myocardial infarction patients started to decline already in the 1970s, i.e. before the data collection for this study began, but hospital admission and treatments are much better organized today. People are generally more aware of the symptoms of a myocardial infarction, and for many patients the ECG diagnosis is carried out already in the ambulance. This means that a large group of patients are admitted directly into the cardiac ward, according to Dr. Sørensen.

He also points out that less people tend to smoke and more patients are treated for high blood pressure today in comparison to 25 years ago. The general change into a healthier life style could explain most of these new findings, but the recent increase in obesity may also turn out to have a negative impact on the future development.

The 25-year cohort study is the first national investigation of such a vast number of patients with myocardial infarction.

Further information

• Dr. Henrik Toft Sørensen, Professor, MD, Consultant, DMSc, PhD, Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology), e-mail: hts@dce.au.dk, Tel: (+45) 8716 82 15 / (+45) 5168 0555

Read more

• Download the scientific paper at the BMJ home page:
  http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e356