Characteristics of Representative Male Survivors of Myocardial Infarction Compared with Representative Population Samples

Abstract

A series of 299 men, aged 27-67, who had survived their first myocardial infarction (MI), have been compared with representative population samples with respect to tobacco consumption, alcoholic intemperance, physical activity during work and leisure time, Occurrence of hypertension, and cholesterol and triglyceride levels in serum. The infarction patients comprised 90% of all surviving, diagnosed cases of primary MI in men aged 67 years or below during 1%70 in Goteborg, Sweden. The comparison between infarction patients and general population samples revealed that the patients smoked more, and were less physically active during leisure time but not during work. They had more often a positive history of hypertension and treatment for high BP and their serum cholesterol and serum triglyceride values were higher. For all these variables the difference decreased with increasing age and was generally not statistically significant above the age of 60 years. Alcoholic intemperance was more common among infarction patients who died outside hospital, but there was no difference in this respect between surviving patients and the general population.When investigating characteristics which predispose for a certain disease, prospective studies are often most suitable. This method presupposes, however, that the disease has a relatively high incidence, as otherwise a sufficient number of patients cannot be collected within a reasonable time. A

Cause of Death in Relation to Social and Alcoholic Problems among Swedish Men Aged 35–44 Years

“…However, the present study was started because of previous findings in a prospective population study in which several risk factors were checked for. In that study we found a signifcant, and independent, contribution to the risk for ischaemic heart disease manifestations (myocardial infarction and sudden coronary death) from alcoholic intemperance (4), and later these findings were corroborated in a casecontrol study (6). Recently it has been found that young Acta Med Scand 213 infarct patients aged below 40 were registered for intemperance twice as often as controls (16).…”

“…Several recent Anglo-Saxon studies have shown lower incidence of coronary heart disease in people with moderate alcohol consumption than in teetotalers and heavy consumers (1, 2, 3). Other studies have reported increased morbidity and mortality in cardiovascular diseases among people with high alcohol consumption or abuse (4)(5)(6)(7)(8). Elmfeldt et al (6) found a significantly increased number of men registered for alcoholic intemperance among those who died outside hospital from cardiovascular disease aged around 50.…”