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Background: As surgical techniques evolve and patient outcomes improve over time, a renewed analysis of the cardiac risk of noncardiac surgeries is needed. The goal of this study was to investigate and categorize the cardiac risk of elective noncardiac surgeries., Methods: This was a cohort study of surgical data and outcomes from the 2018 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Participant Use Data File; 807,413 cases were analyzed after excluding non-elective, emergent, and cardiac surgeries. Postoperative major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were defined as 30-day all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, or cardiac arrest. According to their 95% confidence intervals (CI) for postoperative MACE, surgeries were categorized as low risk (95% CI <1%), intermediate risk (95% CI above and below 1%), or elevated risk (95% CI ≥1%). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to determine differences in the odds for postoperative MACE for the intermediate- and elevated-risk categories relative to the low-risk category while controlling for several risk factors of prognostic importance., Results: Postoperative MACE occurred in 4047/807,413 cases (0.50%), including in 1708/667,735 (0.26%) of the low-risk category, in 516/53,499 (0.96%) of the intermediate-risk category, and in 1823/86,179 (2.12%) of the elevated-risk category. The elevated-risk category accounted for 10.7% of total procedures and 45.1% of total postoperative MACE. Compared with the low-risk category, the multivariable adjusted risk of postoperative MACE was increased in the intermediate-risk category (adjusted odds ratio 2.35; 95% CI, 2.12-2.62) and the elevated-risk category (adjusted odds ratio 3.15; 95% CI, 2.92-3.39)., Conclusion: Categorization of noncardiac surgeries according to cardiac risk may help to identify populations who are most likely to benefit from preoperative cardiac evaluation when indicated., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: No guideline-directed pharmacological therapy has been established for patients with myocardial injury without type 1 myocardial infarction. We investigated the impact of statin treatment in patients with myocardial injury., Methods: Patients with myocardial injury (nonischemic acute and chronic myocardial injury), type 2 myocardial infarction, and type 1 myocardial infarction with at least 1 emergency department visit for chest pain from 2011 to 2014 were included. Dispensed prescriptions of all types of statins with dosage within 180 days from the index visit were collected. In total, 2054 patients were divided into 3 groups: 1) acute myocardial injury (type 2 myocardial infarction, acute nonischemic myocardial injury), 2) chronic myocardial injury, and 3) type 1 myocardial infarction. We estimated the adjusted hazard ratio with 95% confidence interval for death with low- (reference), moderate-, and high-intensity statin therapy., Results: The mean follow-up was 4.2 ± 1.8 years. Only 13% of patients with acute and chronic myocardial injury and 30% with type 1 myocardial infarction were treated with high-intensity statins. Adjusted mortality rates were higher in patients with acute and chronic myocardial injury than in those with type 1 myocardial infarction across all statin intensity categories. In patients with type 1 myocardial infarction, the adjusted mortality risk was 20% (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.36-1.77) lower in patients with high-intensity therapy. Point estimates in the adjusted models indicated similar associations between statin intensity and mortality risk in patients with acute and chronic myocardial injury., Conclusion: Patients with myocardial injury may benefit from high-intensity statin treatment, but the associations were not statistically significant when adjusting for confounders., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: This study examines epidemiological trends of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Germany from 2004-2015 across different age groups, using data of the population-based KORA myocardial infarction registry., Methods: Annual age-standardised, age-group- and sex-specific mortality and event rates (incident and recurrent) per 100,000 population as well as 28-day case fatality were calculated from all registered cases of AMI and coronary heart disease deaths in 25-74-year-olds from 2004-2015 and 75-84-year-olds from 2009-2015. Average annual percentage changes (AAPC) were calculated by joinpoint regression., Results: Mortality rates declined considerably among the elderly (75-84 years), in men by -6.0% annually, due to declines of case fatality by -3.0% and incidence rate by 3.4% and in women by -10.0%, driven by declines in incidence (-9.1%) and recurrence rate (-4.9%). Significant mortality declines also occurred in males, 65-74 years of age (AAPC -3.8%). Among the age groups 25-54 years and 55-64 years, there was no substantial decline in mortality, event rates or case fatality except for a decline of incidence rate in 55-64-year-old men (AAPC -1.8%)., Conclusion: Inhomogeneous AMI trends across age-groups indicate progress in prevention and treatment for the population >64 years, while among <55-year-olds, we found no significant trend in AMI morbidity and mortality.KEY MESSAGESAge standardised AMI mortality continued to decline from 2009 to 2015 in the study region.Declines in AMI mortality were driven by declines in event rates (both incidence and recurrence rates) and case fatality.AMI trends were inconsistent across different age groups with the strongest declines in mortality and event rates among the elderly population (75-84 years of age).

Background: There are limited data on the association of minor troponin elevation in unselected patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) presenting to the emergency department (ED) with adverse events. In this study, we sought to assess the early and mid-term mortality of these patients., Methods: In this observational study, 2911 patients with AF were admitted to the ED. They were divided into 3 groups based on peak high-sensitivity troponin (TnT) levels: normal (<15 ng/L), 15-50 ng/L and 51-100 ng/L. The primary outcomes of this study were all-cause mortality at 30 days and 1 year., Results: All-cause mortality was 6.7% (n = 196) at 30 days and 22.2% (n = 646) at 1 year. Mortality rate increased along with increasing levels of TnT irrespective of baseline covariates, primary discharge diagnosis and type of AF. A significant association between TnT levels and all-cause mortality was observed. The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) at 30 days was 6.02 (95% CI 2.62-13.83) for TnT 15-50 ng/L and 11.28 (95% CI 4.87-26.12) for TnT 51-100 ng/L (P<.001 for both) compared to TnT <15 ng/L. At 1 year, the adjusted HRs were 3.08 (95% CI 2.15-4.40) and 5.07 (95% CI 3.49-7.35), respectively (P < .001). When patients with TnT <15 ng/L were divided into two groups at the median value, TnT elevation of 10 to 14 ng/L was also associated with increased 1-year mortality (HR 2.51; 95% CI 1.09-5.74; P = .03)., Conclusions: Among patients with AF admitted to the ED, increased TnT levels were associated with increased early and mid-term all-cause mortality irrespective of baseline covariates and type of AF., (© 2021 Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Although rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with an increased risk of death and cardiovascular (CV) disease, the excess of these risks is expected to have diminished over time, in more recent incident cohorts with RA. We analysed the risk of all-cause death, stroke, and myocardial infarction as primary outcomes and all CV events as secondary outcomes in RA subjects compared to the general population, from 2005 to 2018. The risk outcomes were also evaluated in relation to the time since RA diagnosis. We conducted a cohort study using linkable administrative healthcare databases of the Lombardy Region, Northern Italy. Analyses included subjects newly diagnosed RA subjects and a random sample of No-RA subjects. An adjusted Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to calculate hazard ratios and 95% CIs for all outcomes. The study population comprised 16,047 RA subjects and 500,000 without RA. The risks of dying (HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.15-1.30), stroke (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.22-1.58), myocardial infarction (HR 2.00, 95% CI 1.78-2.26) were significantly higher in the RA cohort, as were those that for secondary outcomes. Differences between RA and No-RA already emerged during the first five years after diagnosis. Risk patterns remained statistically significant during the next 5 years or more. Subjects with RA still have a higher risk of death and worse CV outcomes than the general population, appearing early and not decreasing with time. Preventive interventions are urgently needed., (© 2021. Società Italiana di Medicina Interna (SIMI).)

Background: Elevated copeptin, a marker for vasopressin release, has been associated with impaired prognosis in acute myocardial infarction (MI). The aim was to investigate whether this association extends beyond the acute phase and whether it is related to markers of stress (cortisol) and heart failure (NTproBNP)., Methods: Copeptin, cortisol and NTproBNP were measured in 926 participants (age: 76.0; male: 48.5%) in the ICELAND MI study whereof 246 had a previous MI (91 recognizable (RMI) and 155 previously unrecognizable (UMI) detected by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging). The primary endpoint was cardiovascular events (CVEs), and secondary endpoints were total mortality, heart failure and MI (median follow-up was 9.1 years). The relation between copeptin and prognosis was assessed with the Cox proportional hazard regression (unadjusted, adjusted for cortisol and NTproBNP, respectively, and a multiple model: copeptin, cortisol, NTproBNP, age, sex, serum creatinine, heart failure)., Results: Copeptin was higher in participants with MI (8.9 vs. 6.4 pmol/L; P < .01), with no difference between RMI vs. UMI. Increased copeptin correlated with evening cortisol (r = .11; P < .01) and NTproBNP (r = .07; P = .04). Copeptin was associated with CVE and total mortality after adjusting for cortisol and NTproBNP separately, and remained significantly associated with total mortality in the multiple model., Conclusions: Copeptin was higher in subjects with previous MI regardless whether previously recognized or not. Copeptin correlated weakly with cortisol and NTproBNP, and was independently associated with total mortality. This indicates that the prognostic implications of copeptin are not only mediated by heart failure or stress, supporting the assumption that copeptin is a marker of general vulnerability., (© 2021 The Authors. European Journal of Clinical Investigation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation.)

Objective: We sought to determine if the duration of pain or other features of the history predict major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients with chest pain in the emergency department (ED)., Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of patients presenting to a single ED with chest pain. Consenting patients filled out a survey about their symptoms. After 6 weeks, we assessed patients for MACE via chart review and direct contact. We used this data to calculate the likelihood ratios (LRs) of a number of historical features for acute myocardial infarction (MI) (primary endpoint) and MACE within 6 weeks (secondary endpoint). We planned a priori to analyze patients who reported chest pain for ≤1 min or continuously for ≥24 h., Results: We enrolled 1002 patients, and 83.6% had successful 6-week follow up. Regarding chest pain lasting for ≤1 min, the positive LR was 0.95 (95% CI 0.24 to 3.80) for acute MI and 0.67 (95% CI 0.17 to 2.72) for MACE within 6 weeks. The positive LRs of continuous pain lasting ≥24 h for acute MI and MACE within 6 weeks were 0.15 (95% CI 0.04 to 0.58) and 0.36 (95% CI 0.18 to 0.74), respectively. Amongst other historical features assessed, radiation to the right arm was the strongest positive predictor of acute MI., Conclusion: Patients with continuous chest pain for ≥24 h are unlikely to have an acute MI. Chest pain lasting ≤1 min does not exclude acute MI., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declared that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Albuminuria level is associated with cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with diabetes. However, little is known about the association between albuminuria level in diabetes patients without overt cardiovascular disease. We aimed to examine the association between albuminuria level and the risk of ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, and all-cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes without overt cardiovascular disease., Methods: We linked Danish nationwide registries to identify patients with type 2 diabetes without cardiovascular disease from May 2005 through June 2015. Patients were followed for the outcomes ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, and all-cause mortality until December 31, 2015. Albuminuria level was based on 2 consecutive measurements of the urinary albumin excretion rate or albumin-to-creatinine ratio. Associations between albuminuria level and incidence of cardiovascular disease and mortality were evaluated with Cox proportional hazard regression., Results: The study population consisted of 69,532 patients with type 2 diabetes without cardiovascular disease. When comparing patients with microalbuminuria to patients with normoalbuminuria, in an analysis adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors, we found hazard ratios of 1.28 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.52), 1.34 (95% CI, 1.10-1.62), and 1.48 (95% CI, 1.36-1.61) for ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, and all-cause mortality, respectively. For macroalbuminuria, the hazard ratios were 1.81 (95% CI, 1.46-2.23), 1.99 (95% CI, 1.59-2.48), and 1.83 (95% CI, 1.64-2.04). Similar results were found after adjusting for concomitant medication., Conclusions: This study showed that albuminuria level is associated with higher risk of incident ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, and all-cause mortality in Type 2 diabetes patients without overt cardiovascular disease., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The long-term mortality of patients with myocardial infarction and nonobstructed coronary arteries (MINOCA) remains poorly defined. This study aimed to determine the long-term mortality of patients with MINOCA and to identify potential prognostic determinants of long-term outcome., Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases and reviewed cited references up to December 31, 2018 to identify studies with >6 months' follow-up data., Results: We selected 44 studies including 36,932 patients (20,052 women and 16,880 men). During a median follow-up of 25 months (interquartile range: 23-39 months), 1409 patients had died (3.8%). Overall, annual mortality rate was 2.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5% to 2.4%), with significant heterogeneity (I 2 = 80%, P < .001). Meta-analysis of the 26 studies comparing patients with MINOCA with those with myocardial infarction and obstructive coronary artery disease showed that annual rates of long-term total mortality were 2.2% (95% CI: 1.7% to 2.7%) and 5.0% (95% CI: 4.1% to 5,9%), respectively, with a significant difference between the two groups (relative risk: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.46 to 0.78, P < .001). Meta-regression analysis demonstrated that normal ejection fraction (P ≤ .0001) and normal coronary arteries at angiography (P = .004) were inversely related to long-term mortality, whereas use of beta-blockers during follow-up (P = .010) and ST depression on the admission electrocardiogram (P = .016) were directly related with worse outcome., Conclusions: The long-term mortality after MINOCA is lower than that in patients with myocardial infarction and obstructive coronary artery disease, but it is not trivial. Reduced ejection fraction, nonobstructive coronary artery disease, use of beta-blockers during follow up and ST depression on the admission electrocardiogram are significant predictors of long-term prognosis., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Previous studies have shown an inverse relationship between sexual activity and mortality in the general population. We evaluated the association between sexual activity and long-term survival among patients with acute myocardial infarction., Methods: Patients aged ≤65 years (n=1120; mean age, 53) discharged from 8 hospitals in central Israel after first myocardial infarction from 1992-1993 were followed for mortality through 2015. Frequency of sexual activity was self-reported during the index hospitalization (baseline; referring to the year preceding the infarct) and after 5 and 10-13 years, along with sociodemographic and clinical data. Cox proportional hazards models were constructed to estimate the association with all-cause mortality in time-dependent sexual activity categories., Results: At baseline, a > once per week frequency of sexual activity was reported by 42% of the patients, whereas no sexual activity was reported by 6%. After 10-13 years, the rates were 21% and 27%, respectively. Lower sexual activity was associated with older age, female sex, lack of a steady partner and more comorbidities. During follow-up, 524 deaths (47%) occurred. An inverse relationship was observed between sexual activity frequency and death, with hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 0.30 (0.23-0.38) for > once per week, 0.36 (0.28-0.46) for once per week, and 0.53 (0.42-0.66) for < once per week, compared with none. After adjusting for relevant confounding factors, the estimates were attenuated to 0.68 (0.50-0.91), 0.63 (0.48-0.83), and 0.72 (0.57-0.93), respectively (P for trend = .004)., Conclusions: Using repeated assessments of sexual activity after myocardial infarction, an inverse association was demonstrated with mortality, which was only partly accounted for by measured potential confounders., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: In this article, we present death and myocardial infarction (MI) incidences over 22 years in relation to possible risk factors and their explanatory value., Study Design: In 1993, 980 middle-aged Swedish men in an automotive industry were surveyed at a health checkup as part of the Renault-Volvo Coeur project. The Swedish cohort was revisited in 2015., Methods: In 2015, incident MIs were identified using postal questionnaires, hospital records, and the Swedish national MI and death registers. The statistical results were given as odds ratios (ORs) and pseudo-R 2 (PR 2 ), showing the proportion of variation in risk explained by logistic models., Results: One hundred and four deaths (4.6 per 1000 person-years) and 89 first MIs (4.2 per 1000 person-years) were identified. The Framingham risk index showed the strongest association with MI (OR = 23; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 5.42, 96.9), comparing the fifth quintile with the first. The all-cause death showed an OR of 3.2 (95% CI = 1.65, 6.08), with a suggested U-shape over quintiles. The percentages of PR 2 for MI and death were 8.8% and 6.6%, respectively. All risk factors together explained 22% of the variation in risk of MI. Comparing mortality in men living alone with those married yielded an OR of 3.78, which was found to be statistically significant. The corresponding OR for MI was not significant., Conclusions: Traditional risk factors were confirmed but explained a modest proportion of the risk variation., (Copyright © 2019 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Both baseline fluid overload (FO) and fluid depletion are associated with increased mortality risk and cardiovascular complications in haemodialysis patients. Fluid status may vary substantially over time, and this variability could also be associated with poor outcomes., Methods: In our retrospective cohort study, including 4114 haemodialysis patients from 34 Romanian dialysis units, we investigated both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk according to baseline pre- and post-dialysis volume status, changes in pre- and post-dialysis fluid status during follow-up (time-varying survival analysis), pre-post changes in volume status during dialysis and pre-dialysis fluid status variability during the first 6 months of evaluation., Results: According to their pre-dialysis fluid status, patients were stratified in the following groups: normovolaemic with an absolute FO (AFO) compartment between -1.1 and 1.1 L, fluid depletion with an AFO below -1.1 L, moderate FO with an AFO compartment >1.1 but <2.5 L and severe FO with the AFO compartment >2.5 L. Baseline pre-dialysis FO and fluid depletion patients had a significantly elevated risk of all-cause mortality risk {hazard ratio [HR] 1.53 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22-1.93], HR 2.04 (95% CI 1.59-2.60) and HR 1.88 (95% CI 1.07-3.39) for moderate FO, severe FO and fluid depletion, respectively}. In contrast, post-dialysis fluid depletion was associated with better survival [HR 0.71 (95% CI 0.57-0.89)]. Similar results were found when using changes in pre- or post-dialysis fluid status during follow-up (time-varying values): FO patients had an increased risk of all-cause [moderate FO: HR 1.39 (95% CI 1.11-1.75); severe FO: HR 2.29 (95% CI 2.01-3.31] and cardiovascular (CV) mortality [moderate FO: HR 1.34 (95% CI 1.05-1.70); severe FO: HR 2.34 (95% CI 1.67-3.28)] as compared with normohydrated patients. Using pre-post changes in volume status during dialysis, we categorized the patients into six groups: Group 1, AFO <-1.1 L pre- and post-dialysis; Group 2, AFO between -1.1 and 1.1 L pre-dialysis and <-1.1 L post-dialysis (the reference group); Group 3, AFO between -1.1 and 1.1 L pre- and post-dialysis; Group 4, AFO >1.1 L pre-dialysis and <-1.1 L post-dialysis; Group 5, AFO >1.1 L pre-dialysis and between -1.1 and 1.1 L post-dialysis; Group 6, AFO >1.1 L pre- and post-dialysis. Using the baseline values, only patients in Groups 1, 5 and 6 maintained an increased risk for all-cause mortality as compared with the reference group. Additionally, CV mortality risk was significantly higher for patients in Groups 5 and 6. When we applied the time-varying analysis, patients in Groups 1, 5 and 6 had a significantly higher risk for both all-cause and CV mortality risk. In the last approach, the highest risk for the all-cause mortality outcome was observed for patients with high-amplitude fluctuation during the first 6 months of evaluation [HR 2.75 (95% CI 1.29-5.84)]., Conclusion: We reconfirm the association between baseline pre- and post-dialysis volume status and mortality in dialysis patients; additionally, we showed that greater fluid status variability is independently associated with higher mortality., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ERA-EDTA. All rights reserved.)

Background Myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteries ( MINOCA ) is a heterogeneous disease entity. Its prognosis and predictor of mortality remain unclear. This study aimed to compare the prognosis between MINOCA and myocardial infarction with obstructive coronary artery disease and identify factors related to all-cause death in MINOCA using a nation-wide, multicenter, and prospective registry. Methods and Results Among 13 104 consecutive patients enrolled, patients without previous history of significant coronary artery disease who underwent coronary angiography were selected. The primary outcome was 2-year all-cause death. Secondary outcomes were cardiac death, noncardiac death, reinfarction, and repeat revascularization. Patients with MINOCA (n=396) and myocardial infarction with obstructive coronary artery disease (n=10 871) showed similar incidence of all-cause death (9.1% versus 8.8%; hazard ratio [ HR ], 1.04; 95% CI, 0.74-1.45; P=0.83). Risks of cardiac death, noncardiac death, and reinfarction were not significantly different between the 2 groups ( HR , 0.82; 95% CI , 0.53-1.28; P=0.38; HR , 1.55; 95% CI , 0.93-2.56; P=0.09; HR , 1.23; 95% CI , 0.65-2.31; P=0.38, respectively). MINOCA patients had lower incidence of repeat revascularization (1.3% versus 7.2%; HR , 0.17; 95% CI , 0.07-0.41; P<0.001). Results were consistent after multivariable regression and propensity-score matching. In a multivariate model, several significant predictors of all-cause death of MINOCA were found, including the nonuse of renin-angiotensin system blockers ( HR , 2.63; 95% CI , 1.08-6.25; P=0.033) and statins ( HR , 2.17; 95% CI , 1.04-4.54; P=0.039). Conclusions Patients with MINOCA and those with myocardial infarction with obstructive coronary artery disease had comparable clinical outcomes. Use of renin-angiotensin system blockers and statins was associated with lower mortality in patients with MINOCA .

Objectives: International comparisons are suggesting that mortality inequalities may have changed in the last years, although not always into the same direction. Only a few studies examined myocardial infarction (MI). In our study, long-term developments of MI and all-cause mortality were considered by analysing social gradients by income., Methods: German claims data covering 2006 to 2015 (N = 2,474,448) were used with myocardial infarction and all-cause mortality as outcomes. Socio-economic position was depicted by individual income. Health inequalities were measured by hazard ratios between and within income groups for 10 consecutive calendar years., Results: In men, income gradients of MI and all-cause mortality were decreasing. In women, no income gradients emerged for MI, and they disappeared in mortality. In men, hazard ratios of MI and mortality decreased in the intermediate and in the lowest income thirds, thus leading to a reduction of MI-related health inequalities., Conclusions: Income inequalities in terms of myocardial infarction and of mortality have narrowed in men, and those in the lowest income third were profiting most. No such changes were observed in women.

Purpose: The Aussiedler Mortality cohorts represent the unique migrant group of ethnic Germans (resettlers) from the former Soviet Union who migrated to Germany mainly after the fall of the iron curtain in 1989. Resettlers are the second largest migrant group in Germany and their health status was largely unknown before the cohorts were set up., Participants: Four retrospective register-based cohorts were set up in different federal states of Germany, each focussing on different health aspects. In total, the cohorts include 92 362 resettlers (men: 51.5%, women: 48.5%) who immigrated between 1990 and 2005 with a mean age at immigration of 36.6 years (range 0-105 years). Resettlers are of German ancestry and they are immediately granted the German citizenship with all rights and duties., Findings to Date: Vital status and causes of death (International Classification of Diseases codes based on death certificates or record linkage) were collected for three cohorts as well as cancer incidence and incidence of acute myocardial infarction in three of the cohorts. Currently, an observation period of 20 years (1990-2009) is covered. Overall mortality among resettlers was surprisingly lower in comparison to the German population with standardised mortality ratios of 0.87 (95% confidence limits 0.84-0.91) for women and 0.96 (0.92-0.99) for men, and even stronger for cardiovascular diseases (women: 0.84 (0.79-0.89); men: 0.80 (0.75-0.86). However, observed differences can neither be explained by the 'healthy migrant effect' nor by common behavioural risk factors and may be related to factors which have not yet been studied., Future Plans: The existing cohorts will be continued and prospective studies on resettlers are underway: one cohort will be followed-up prospectively and two other large prospective cohort studies in Germany will be used for a detailed assessment of lifestyle, environmental and genetic/epigenetic factors on the mortality and morbidity pattern of resettlers., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: The impact on mortality due to prompt recognition of ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) patients by EMS has not been well described. The objective of this study was to describe the association between the time interval, 9-1-1 call to percutaneous intervention (PCI), and mortality at one year., Methods: This retrospective analysis included patients that were transported by EMS as a "code STEMI" and underwent PCI.  Total time from 9-1-1 call to PCI was calculated for each patient and was the independent variable of interest. Each patient's mortality status at one year was the outcome variable, collected by querying medical records and the national death index. Confounding variables were abstracted from hospital records. Logistic regression was conducted to determine the likelihood of survival given differences in time to PCI., Results: A total of 550 patients were included in the analyses of which 68% were male with an average age 59.8 (SD 12.8). Mean reperfusion time was 81.8 min (SD 20.0) and was significantly lower in patients alive at one year (80.8 min, SD 19.7) vs. deceased at one year (93.9 min, SD 19.6), respectively. Odds of survival at one year decreased by 3% (OR 0.97; 95% CI 0.96-0.99) for every one minute increase in time to PCI. This relationship practically represents a 30% increase in mortality for every 10 minute delay from 9-1-1 call to PCI., Conclusion: The model produced suggests that a linear relationship exists between time to PCI and mortality in the prehospital environment with the probability of survival decreasing significantly as time to PCI increases.

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a leading cause of death globally. Increase in AMI mortality during winter has also been identified in existing literature. This has been associated with low outdoor and indoor temperatures and increasing age. The relationship between AMI and other factors such as gender and socioeconomic factors varies from study to study. Influenza epidemics have also been identified as a contributory factor., Objective: This paper aims to illustrate the seasonal trend in mortality due to AMI in England and Wales with emphasis on excess winter mortality (EWM)., Methods: Monthly mortality rates per 10 000 population were calculated from data provided by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) for 1997-2005. To quantify the seasonal variation in winter, the EWM estimates (EWM, EWM ratio, Excess Winter Mortality Index) for each year were calculated. Negative binomial regression model was used to estimate the relationship between increasing age and EWM., Results: The decline in mortality rate for AMI was 6.8% yearly between August 1997 and July 2005. Significant trend for reduction in AMI-associated mortality was observed over the period (p<0.001). This decline was not seen with EWM (p<0.001). 17% excess deaths were observed during winter. This amounted to about 20 000 deaths over the 8-year period. Increasing winter mortality was seen with increasing age for AMI., Conclusion: EWM secondary to AMI does occur in England and Wales. Excess winter deaths due to AMI have remained high despite decline in overall mortality. More research is needed to identify the relationship of sex, temperature, acclimatisation, vitamin D and excess winter deaths due to AMI., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2018. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Although an "obesity paradox" exists in patients after myocardial infarction, the association between obesity and the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) is limited. The aim of this study was to determine whether obesity is associated with an increased risk of SCD in Japanese survivors of acute myocardial infarction., Methods and Results: Pooled data from 2 cohort studies in Japan, JCAD (Japanese Coronary Artery Disease) study and the Heart Institute of Japan Acute Myocardial Infarction-II (HIJAMI-II) registry, comprising of 6216 patients (mean age 65±11 years, 75.2% male) with acute myocardial infarction who were discharged alive, were studied. The patients were categorized into the following body mass index (BMI) groups at baseline according to the World Health Organization classification for Asian populations: BMI <18.5 kg/m 2 (n=335), 18.5 to 23 kg/m 2 (n=2371), 23 to 27.5 kg/m 2 (n=2823), and ≥27.5 kg/m 2 (n=687). The main outcomes were all-cause mortality and SCD. During an average follow-up period of 3.6±1.4 years, all-cause mortality was 10.1%, and SCD was 1.2%. Patients with BMI <18.5 kg/m 2 had the highest rate of all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.61; 95% confidence interval, 1.20-2.16), but high BMI (≥27.5 kg/m 2 ) was not associated with mortality compared with patients in the group with BMI ≥18.5 and <23 kg/m 2 . However, the long-term risk of SCD was increased in the group with BMI ≥27.5 kg/m 2 (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.24-7.15). Multivariate analysis revealed that BMI ≥27.5 kg/m 2 was associated with an increased risk of SCD (hazard ratio, 2.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.35-5.74)., Conclusions: Obesity (BMI ≥27.5 kg/m 2 ) was associated with the risk of SCD in Japanese patients after myocardial infarction, although an obesity paradox was found for all-cause mortality., (© 2018 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.)

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether long-term trajectories of high SBP can further predict risk of all-cause death in Chinese adults., Methods: We used a community-based cohort of 84 363 participants without myocardial infarction, stroke, or cancer, in 2010. SBP trajectories used latent mixture modeling with data from 2006, 2008, and 2010. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the association between SBP trajectories and risk of all-cause death in 2010-2015., Results: We identified five distinct SBP trajectory patterns based on the 2006 status and the pattern of change during 2006-2010. Each pattern was labeled according to the SBP levels and pattern over time: low-stable (n = 21 249), moderate-stable (n = 39 390), moderate-increasing (n = 9634), elevated-decreasing (n = 9094) and elevated-stable (n = 4996). During 5.24 ± 1.04 years of follow-up, we documented 4131 deaths. After adjusting for potential confounding factors and using the low-stable group as a reference, hazard ratios [95% confidence interval (CI)] of all-cause death for the moderate-stable, moderate-increasing, elevated-decreasing, and elevated-stable groups were 1.32 (1.12-1.56), 1.60 (1.26-2.04), 1.69 (1.38-2.07), and 1.75 (1.33-2.32), respectively. Although the moderate-stable trajectory exhibited SBP ranges within the 'normal' range (126.90-130.09 mmHg) in 2006-2010, this group had higher all-cause death risk relative to the low-stable trajectory group (109.86-112.46 mmHg) (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.32, 95% CI 1.12-1.56)., Conclusion: High SBP trajectories are independent risk factors for all-cause death. Our findings suggest increasing SBP trajectories within the currently designated 'normal' range may still increase risk of all-cause death.

Aims: To investigate whether smokers prescribed varenicline had lower risks of serious ill-health during the 4 years following treatment compared with those prescribed nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)., Design: Observational cohort study of electronic medical records., Setting: A total of 370 UK general practices sampled from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink., Participants: A total of 126 718 patients aged 18 and over who were issued smoking cessation prescriptions between 1 September 2006 and 31 March 2014., Measurements: Our primary outcome was all-cause mortality within 2 years of first prescription as indicated by linked Office of National Statistics data. Our secondary outcomes were cause-specific mortality, all-cause, cause-specific hospitalization, primary care diagnosis of myocardial infarction or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), body mass index and attendance rate to primary care within 2 years of first prescription. Risk differences and 95% confidence intervals were estimated by multivariable adjusted regression and propensity score matched regression. We used instrumental variable analysis to overcome residual confounding., Findings: People prescribed varenicline were healthier at baseline than those prescribed NRT in almost all characteristics, highlighting the potential for residual confounding. Our instrumental variable analysis results found that people prescribed varenicline had a similar risk of mortality at 2 years [risk difference per 100 patients treated = 0.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.11 to 1.46)] to those prescribed NRT, and there were similar rates of all-cause hospitalization, incident primary-care diagnoses of myocardial infarction and COPD. People prescribed varenicline subsequently attended primary care less frequently., Conclusions: Smokers prescribed varenicline in primary care in the United Kingdom do not appear to be less likely to die, be hospitalized or experience a myocardial infarction or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease during the following 2 years compared with smokers prescribed nicotine replacement therapy, but they gain more weight and attend primary care less frequently., (© 2018 The Authors. Addiction published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society for the Study of Addiction.)

Over the past decade, there has been a substantial increase in the number of men who are treated with testosterone. Despite this increase in the use of testosterone, the risks of adverse cardiovascular events are unclear as meta-analyses have reported conflicting findings and no clinical studies have been large enough or long enough to adequately assess for cardiovascular risks. The goal of this paper is to review large prescription database studies of testosterone treatment and adverse cardiovascular events and mortality with the aim of providing some guidance for clinicians and researchers in this controversial area.

Aim: To examine trends in incidence and 28-day case fatality of myocardial infarction (MI) in persons aged 75-99 years in four areas of Finland., Methods and Results: The Finnish Acute Myocardial Infarction (FINAMI) register is a population-based MI register study, which during 1995-2012 recorded 30561 suspected acute coronary syndromes in persons aged ≥75 years. Of them, 16229 fulfilled the American Heart Association criteria for a definite, probable or possible MI or coronary death. This age-group contributed 56.8% of all MIs of which 62.7% occurred in women. The incidence of MI decreased by -3.3%/year (95% CI -4.2; -2.4) in women aged 75-84 years, and by -1.2%/year (-1.9; -0.5) in women aged 85-99 years, but among men in these age-groups, only a non-significant reduction occurred. The 28-day case fatality of MI was high. In the age-group 75-84 years, it decreased non-significantly by -1.6%/year in men, and significantly by -2.4%/year (-3.9; -0.8) in women. In the age-group 85-99 years, the decrease was more remarkable: -5.1%/year (-7.8; -2.3) and -3.9%/year (-5.5; -2.2), respectively., Conclusions: In Finland, more than half of MIs occur in the age-group 75-99 years, and most of them in women. The incidence of MI decreased significantly in elderly women but non-significantly in elderly men. The 28-day case fatality decreased especially in the age-group 85-99 years. Key Messages In Finland, more than one half of all myocardial infarctions (MIs) occur in the age-group of 75 years or older. Furthermore, 62.7% of MIs among elderly patients occur among women, although 58.0% of the elderly population are women. The incidence of MI decreased significantly in elderly women but not in elderly men. The 28-day case fatality in elderly patients was high but decreased significantly during the study period 1995-2012. This study provides population-based data on treatment strategies and trends in incidence, event rate, mortality and case fatality of MI in elderly individuals. Elderly patients with acute coronary syndromes still present a remarkable burden to the healthcare system in Finland as well as in many other developed countries. Especially considering the modern trend of reducing hospital resources and shifting patient care to outpatient clinics, the epidemiology of MI in elderly patients remains an important issue for the future planning of the healthcare system.

Cold weather was estimated to account for more than half of weather-related deaths in the U.S. during 2006-2010. Studies have shown that cold-related excessive mortality is especially relevant with decreasing latitude or in regions with mild winter. However, only limited studies have been conducted in the southern U.S. The purpose of our study is to examine impacts of cold weather on mortality in 12 major Texas Metropolitan Areas (MSAs) for the 22-year period, 1990-2011. Our study used a two-stage approach to examine the cold-mortality association. We first applied distributed lag non-linear models (DLNM) to 12 major MSAs to estimate cold effects for each area. A random effects meta-analysis was then used to estimate pooled effects. Age-stratified and cause-specific mortalities were modeled separately for each MSA. Most of the MSAs were associated with an increased risk in mortality ranging from 0.1% to 5.0% with a 1 °C decrease in temperature below the cold thresholds. Higher increased mortality risks were generally observed in MSAs with higher average daily mean temperatures and lower latitudes. Pooled effect estimate was 1.58% (95% Confidence Interval (CI) [0.81, 2.37]) increase in all-cause mortality risk with a 1 °C decrease in temperature. Cold wave effects in Texas were also examined, and several MSAs along the Texas Gulf Coast showed statistically significant cold wave-mortality associations. Effects of cold on all-cause mortality were highest among people over 75 years old (1.86%, 95% CI [1.09, 2.63]). Pooled estimates for cause-specific mortality were strongest in myocardial infarction (4.30%, 95% CI [1.18, 7.51]), followed by respiratory diseases (3.17%, 95% CI [0.26, 6.17]) and ischemic heart diseases (2.54%, 95% CI [1.08, 4.02]). In conclusion, cold weather generally increases mortality risk significantly in Texas, and the cold effects vary with MSAs, age groups, and cause-specific deaths., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Social inequalities in coronary heart disease mortality have roots in childhood conditions, but it is unknown whether they are associated both with the incidence of the disease and the following survival. We studied how several different early-life socioeconomic factors, together with later socioeconomic attainment, were associated with myocardial infarction (MI) incidence and fatality in Finland. The data was based on a register-based sample of households from a census in 1950 that also provided information on childhood circumstances. MI hospitalizations and mortality in 1988-2010 were studied in those who were up to 14 years of age at the time of the census and resident in Finland in 1987 (n = 94,501). Parental education, occupation, household crowding, home ownership, and family type were examined together with adulthood education and income. Hazard and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using Cox regression (incidence and long-term fatality) and logistic regression (short-term fatality) models. Lower parental education, occupational background and greater household crowding were associated with MI incidence. In models adjusted for adulthood variables, crowding increased the risk by 16% (95% CI 5-29%) in men and 25% (95% CI 3-50%) in women. Short-term survival was more favourable in sons of white-collar parents and daughters of owner-occupied households, but most aspects of childhood circumstances did not strongly influence long-term fatality risk. Socioeconomic attainment in adulthood accounted for a substantial part of the effects of childhood conditions, but the measured childhood factors explained little of the disparities by adulthood education and income. Moreover, income and education remained associated with MI incidence when adjusted for unobserved shared family factors in siblings. Though social and economic development in society seems to have mitigated the disease burden associated with poor childhood living conditions in Finland, low adult socioeconomic resources have remained a strong determinant of MI incidence and fatality., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aims: To determine the influence of baseline beta-blocker use on long-term prognosis of myocardial infarction (MI) survivors complicated with heart failure (HF) or with left ventricular dysfunction and with history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)., Methods and Results: Among the 28 771 patients from the High-Risk MI Database Initiative we identified 1573 patients with a baseline history of COPD. We evaluated the association between beta-blocker use at baseline (822 with beta-blocker and 751 without) on the rates of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. On univariable Cox analysis, beta-blocker use was found to be associated with lower rates of both all-cause [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.51-0.75, P < 0.0001] and cardiovascular mortality (HR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.51-0.78, P < 0.0001). After extensive adjustment for confounding, including 24 baseline covariates, COPD patients still benefited from beta-blocker usage (HR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.60-0.90, P = 0.002 for all-cause mortality; HR = 0.77, 95% CI 0.61-0.97, P = 0.025 for cardiovascular mortality). Adjusting for propensity scores (PS) constructed from the 24 aforementioned baseline characteristics provided similar results. In a cohort of 561 pairs of patients taking or not taking beta-blocker matched on PS using a 1:1 nearest-neighbour matching method, patients treated with beta-blocker experienced fewer all-cause deaths (HR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.56-0.89, P = 0.003) and cardiovascular deaths (HR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.59-0.97, P = 0.032)., Conclusions: In the specific setting of a well-treated cohort of high-risk MI survivors, beta-blockers were associated with better outcomes in patients with COPD., (© 2016 The Authors. European Journal of Heart Failure © 2016 European Society of Cardiology.)

Aims: Alhough cardiogenic shock (CS) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is more common in elderly patients, information on the epidemiology of these patients is scarce. This study aimed to assess the trends in prevalence, characteristics, management, and outcomes of elderly patients admitted with CS complicating AMI between 1995 and 2010, using data from the FAST-MI programme., Methods and Results: We analysed the incidence and 1-year mortality of CS in four nationwide French surveys carried out 5 years apart from 1995 to 2010, including consecutive AMI patients over 1-month periods. Among the 10 610 patients, 3389 were aged ≥75 years, of whom 9.9% developed CS. The prevalence of CS decreased in elderly patients from 11.6% in 1995 to 6.7% in 2010 (P = 0.02). Over the 15-year period, the characteristics of elderly patients with CS changed, with more diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolaemia. The use of PCI increased markedly in elderly patients with and without CS, reaching 51% and 59%, respectively, in 2010. In addition, medical therapy also evolved, with more patients receiving antithrombotic agents, beta-blockers, and statins. Over time, 1-year mortality decreased by 32% among elderly patients with CS but remained high (59% in 2010). ST-segmet elevation myocardial infarction and previous AMI were independent correlates of increased 1-year death, while study period was associated with decreased mortality (2010 vs, 1995: hazard ratio 0.40, 95% confidence interval 0.27-0.61, P < 0.001), along with early use of PCI., Conclusion: Cardiogenic shock in elderly patients with AMI remains a major clinical concern. However, 1-year mortality declined in these patients, a decrease potentially mediated by broader use of PCI and the improvement of global patient management., (© 2016 The Authors. European Journal of Heart Failure © 2016 European Society of Cardiology.)

Background: Little is known regarding the relationship between hospital performance on adverse event rates and hospital performance on 30-day mortality and unplanned readmission rates for Medicare fee-for-service patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI)., Methods and Results: Using 2009-2013 medical record-abstracted patient safety data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System and hospital mortality and readmission data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, we fitted a mixed-effects model, adjusting for hospital characteristics, to evaluate whether hospital performance on patient safety, as measured by the hospital-specific risk-standardized occurrence rate of 21 common adverse event measures for which patients were at risk, is associated with hospital-specific 30-day all-cause risk-standardized mortality and unplanned readmission rates for Medicare patients with AMI. The unit of analysis was at the hospital level. The final sample included 793 acute care hospitals that treated 30 or more Medicare patients hospitalized for AMI and had 40 or more adverse events for which patients were at risk. The occurrence rate of adverse events for which patients were at risk was 3.8%. A 1% point change in the risk-standardized occurrence rate of adverse events was associated with average changes in the same direction of 4.86% points (95% CI, 0.79-8.94) and 3.44% points (95% CI, 0.19-6.68) for the risk-standardized mortality and unplanned readmission rates, respectively., Conclusions: For Medicare fee-for-service patients discharged with AMI, hospitals with poorer patient safety performance were also more likely to have poorer performance on 30-day all-cause mortality and on unplanned readmissions., (© 2016 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley Blackwell.)

Background: The clinical importance of right ventricular (RV) function in acute myocardial infarction is well recognized, but the impact of concomitant pulmonary hypertension (PH) has not been studied., Methods and Results: We studied 1044 patients with acute myocardial infarction. Patients were classified into 4 groups according to the presence or absence of RV dysfunction and PH, defined as pulmonary artery systolic pressure >35 mm Hg: normal right ventricle without PH (n=509), normal right ventricle and PH (n=373), RV dysfunction without PH (n=64), and RV dysfunction and PH (n=98). A landmark analysis of early (admission to 30 days) and late (31 days to 8 years) mortality and readmission for heart failure was performed. In the first 30 days, RV dysfunction without PH was associated with a high mortality risk (adjusted hazard ratio 5.56, 95% CI 2.05-15.09, P<0.0001 compared with normal RV and no PH). In contrast, after 30 days, mortality rates among patients with RV dysfunction were increased only when PH was also present. Compared with patients having neither RV dysfunction nor PH, the adjusted hazard ratio for mortality was 1.44 (95% CI 0.68-3.04, P=0.34) in RV dysfunction without PH and 2.52 (95% CI 1.64-3.87, P<0.0001) in RV dysfunction with PH. PH with or without RV dysfunction was associated with increased risk for heart failure., Conclusion: In the absence of elevated pulmonary pressures, the risk associated with RV dysfunction after acute myocardial infarction is entirely confined to the first 30 days. Beyond 30 days, PH is the stronger risk factor for long-term mortality and readmission for heart failure., (© 2016 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley Blackwell.)

Background: We have previously shown that older thrombus is associated with a twofold higher long-term mortality in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). We evaluated whether the addition of the presence of older thrombus to a multimarker model would result in increased predictive power for 1-year mortality in STEMI patients., Methods: The study population (n = 1442) consists of STEMI patients treated with thrombus aspiration during pPCI. Patients were included if aspirated thrombus material could histopathologically be classified according to thrombus age (n = 870) and laboratory measurements of biomarkers (cardiac troponin T, glucose, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, estimated glomerular filtration rate and C-reactive protein) were available. The additional prognostic value of the presence of older thrombus beyond multiple biomarkers and established clinical risk factors was evaluated using multivariate Cox regression models., Results: Serum biomarker concentrations were similar between patients with fresh and older thrombus. Sixty patients (7%) died within 1 year. The presence of older thrombus remained strongly associated with mortality at 1 year after multivariable adjustment for multiple biomarkers and established clinical risk factors. Addition of older thrombus to either a model including clinical risk factors and biomarkers or a model including solely biomarkers resulted in significant increases in the discriminative value, evidenced by net reclassification improvement and integrated discriminative improvement., Conclusions: The presence of older thrombus provides independent complementary information to a multimarker model including established clinical risk factors and multiple biomarkers for predicting 1-year mortality in STEMI patients treated with pPCI and thrombus aspiration., (© 2016 Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation.)

Background: Certain subgroups in the general population, such as persons with existing cardiovascular or respiratory disease, may be more likely to experience adverse health effects from air pollution., Methods: In this European multicenter study, 25,006 myocardial infarction (MI) survivors in 5 cities were recruited from 1992 to 2002 via registers, and daily mortality was followed for 6 to 12 years in relation to ambient particulate and gaseous air pollution exposure. Daily air pollution levels were obtained from central monitor sites, and particle number concentrations were measured in 2001 and estimated retrospectively based on measured pollutants and meteorology. City-specific effect estimates from time-series analyses with Poisson regression were pooled over all 5 cities., Results: Particle number concentrations and PM10 averaged over 2 days (lag 0-1) were associated with increased total nontrauma mortality for patients of age 35 to 74 (5.6% [95% confidence interval, 2.8%-8.5%] per 10,000/cm and 5.1% [1.6%-9.3%] per 10 microg/m, respectively). For longer averaging times (5 and 15 days), carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide were also associated with mortality. There were no clear associations with ozone or sulfur dioxide., Conclusion: Exposure to traffic-related air pollution was associated with daily mortality in MI survivors. Point estimates suggest a stronger effect of air pollution in MI survivors than among the general population.

Background: Many studies have been performed on the impact of Alzheimer's disease, stroke and cancer on carers. Information on the influence of a myocardial infarction in a patient on the health of the partner is still scarce., Methods: Exposed and non-exposed partners were compared with respect to the occurrence of mortality and predefined diseases, using Cox proportional hazards survival analysis., Results: None of the disease incidence rates differed between exposed partners and control partners. Over 12 times as many male partners of (female) heart patients died as compared to their male control partners, when they had a low educational level., Conclusion: When exposed to myocardial infarction in a patient, the risk of dying in low educated male partners was over 12 times as large as for male low educated unexposed partners.

Much remains to be understood about how low socioeconomic status (SES) increases cardiovascular disease and mortality risk. Data from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (1984-1993) were used to estimate the associations between acute myocardial infarction and income, all-cause mortality, and cardiovascular mortality in a population-based sample of 2,272 Finnish men, with adjustment for 23 biologic, behavioral, psychologic, and social risk factors. Compared with the highest income quintile, those in the bottom quintile had age-adjusted relative hazards of 3.14 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.77-5.56), 2.66 (95% CI 1.25-5.66), and 4.34 (95% CI 1.95-9.66) for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and AMI, respectively. After adjustment for risk factors, the relative hazards for the same comparisons were 1.32 (95% CI 0.70-2.49), 0.70 (95% CI 0.29-1.69), and 2.83 (95% CI 1.14-7.00). In the lowest income quintile, adjustment for risk factors reduced the excess relative risk of all-cause mortality by 85%, that of cardiovascular mortality by 118%, and that of acute myocardial infarction by 45%. These data show how the association between SES and cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality is mediated by known risk factor pathways, but full "explanations" for these associations will need to encompass why these biologic, behavioral, psychologic, and social risk factors are differentially distributed by SES.

Background: There has been a major decline in mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) in Australia from about 1967 through to 1989, occurring across all age groups simultaneously. We have analysed data up until 1992 to examine for trends within age cohorts., Methods: Death registrations for acute myocardial infarction and CHD were used to construct male and female 5-year age- and cohort-specific mortality rates starting at 1900-1904 for cohorts and 25-29 years for age. Trends within age group and within cohort were compared across time., Results: Across all female and most male birth cohorts there was a decrease in CHD mortality across the time period. In the youngest male cohorts there was a significant flattening in the rate of decline in the most recent periods. Comparison of age-specific mortality across cohorts showed the mortality at any period to be lower in the most recent cohort., Conclusions: This analysis demonstrates a continuing decline in mortality from CHD among females of all ages in Australia although the rate of decline appears to have slowed or even ceased in younger males.