Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Case fatality of acute myocardial infarction: an emerging gender gap

  • COMMENTARY
  • Published:
European Journal of Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

There has been a cardiovascular revolution since the 1970s in many industrialized countries with rapidly declining mortality rates especially for coronary heart disease (CHD). This has been most striking for men. A slower decline in out-of hospital mortality for women below 55 has been demonstrated in Finland. This, and indications of increasing incidence of CHD in the younger segments of the female populations may be pointing at a shift in the incidence and mortality pattern of this disorder. These findings should be taken seriously, reminding us that younger women are not protected against coronary heart disease.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Westlund K, Hougen A. Myocardial infarction among middle aged Oslo males 1956–57. J Oslo City Hosp. 1961;11:21–8.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Levi F, Lucchini F, Negri E, La VC. Trends in mortality from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in Europe and other areas of the world. Heart. 2002;88(2):119–24.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Mirzaei M, Truswell AS, Taylor R, Leeder SR. Coronary heart disease epidemics: not all the same. Heart. 2009;95(9):740–6.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. La VC, Levi F, Lucchini F, Negri E. Trends in mortality from major diseases in Europe, 1980–1993. Eur J Epidemiol. 1998;14(1):1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Davidsen M, Bronnum-Hansen H, Jorgensen T, Madsen M, Gerdes LU, Osler M, et al. Trends in incidence, case-fatality and recurrence of myocardial infarction in the Danish MONICA population 1982–1991. Eur J Epidemiol. 2001;17(12):1139–45.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Rosengren A, Spetz CL, Koster M, Hammar N, Alfredsson L, Rosen M. Sex differences in survival after myocardial infarction in Sweden; data from the Swedish National Acute Myocardial Infarction Register. Eur Heart J. 2001;22(4):314–22.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Gan SC, Beaver SK, Houck PM, MacLehose RF, Lawson HW, Chan L. Treatment of acute myocardial infarction and 30-day mortality among women and men. N Engl J Med. 2000;343(1):8–15.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Jiang SL, Ji XP, Zhao YX, Wang XR, Song ZF, Ge ZM, et al. Predictors of in-hospital mortality difference between male and female patients with acute myocardial infarction. Am J Cardiol. 2006;98(8):1000–3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Gottlieb S, Harpaz D, Shotan A, Boyko V, Leor J, Cohen M, et al. Sex differences in management and outcome after acute myocardial infarction in the 1990s: A prospective observational community-based study. Israeli Thrombolytic Survey Group. Circulation. 2000;102(20):2484–90.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Fodor JG, Tzerovska R, Dorner T, Rieder A. Do we diagnose and treat coronary heart disease differently in men and women? Wien Med Wochenschr. 2004;154(17–18):423–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Lehto HR, Lehto S, Havulinna AS, Ketonen M, Lehtonen A, Kesaniemi YA, et al. Sex differences in short- and long-term case-fatality of myocardial infarction. Eur J Epidemiol 30 June 2011.

  12. Mannsverk J, Wilsgaard T, Njolstad I, Hopstock LA, Lochen ML, Mathiesen EB, et al. Age and gender differences in incidence and case fatality trends for myocardial infarction: a 30-year follow-up. The Tromso Study. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil 22 Aug 2011. doi:10.1177/1741826711421081.

  13. Roger VL, Jacobsen SJ, Weston SA, Goraya TY, Killian J, Reeder GS, Kottke TE, Yawn BP, Frye RL. Trends in the incidence and survival of patients with hospitalized myocardial infarction, Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1979 to 1994. Ann Intern Med. 2002;136(5):341–8.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Lundblad D, Holmgren L, Jansson JH, Naslund U, Eliasson M. Gender differences in trends of acute myocardial infarction events: the Northern Sweden MONICA study 1. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2008;8:17.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Lehto HR, Lehto S, Havulinna AS, Ketonen M, Lehtonen A, Kesaniemi YA, et al. Are coronary event rates declining slower in women than in men - evidence from two population-based myocardial infarction registers in Finland? BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2007;7:35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Stramba-Badiale M, Fox KM, Priori SG, Collins P, Daly C, Graham I, et al. Cardiovascular diseases in women: a statement from the policy conference of the European Society of Cardiology. Eur Heart J. 2006;27(8):994–1005.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Vartiainen E, Laatikainen T, Peltonen M, Juolevi A, Mannisto S, Sundvall J, et al. Thirty-five-year trends in cardiovascular risk factors in Finland. Int J Epidemiol. 2010;39(2):504–18.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Prescott E, Hippe M, Schnohr P, Hein HO, Vestbo J. Smoking and risk of myocardial infarction in women and men: longitudinal population study. BMJ. 1998;316(7137):1043–7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Grundtvig M, Hagen TP, German M, Reikvam A. Sex-based differences in premature first myocardial infarction caused by smoking: twice as many years lost by women as by men. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil. 2009;16(2):174–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Bertuccio P, Levi F, Lucchini F, Chatenoud L, Bosetti C, Negri E, La Vecchia C. Coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease mortality in young adults: recent trends in Europe. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil 26 Apr 2011.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of biostatistics, Institute of basic medical sciences, University of Oslo, Box 1122, 0317, Blindern, OSLO, Norway

    Dag Steinar Thelle

Authors
  1. Dag Steinar Thelle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dag Steinar Thelle.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Thelle, D.S. Case fatality of acute myocardial infarction: an emerging gender gap. Eur J Epidemiol 26, 829–831 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-011-9627-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-011-9627-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation