Risk factors for acute myocardial infarction among men in the subarctic area.
OBJECTIVE
To describe and quantify the main risk factors for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among males in the subarctic region of Sweden.


METHODS
Case-control study comprising a questionnaire and a clinical examination.


METHODS
Kiruna, a town about 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle with a very high mortality from ischaemic heart disease.


METHODS
219 patients 35 to 64 years of age admitted to Kiruna District Hospital with a first myocardial infarction between 1973 and 1985, and 438 age-matched controls.


RESULTS
The main risk factors for the whole group were hypertension (odds ratio [OR] 3.5), family history of AMI (OR 2.2), diabetes mellitus (OR 2.2), and smoking (OR 1.7). The distribution and strength of the risk factors differed between Kiruna-born and migrants into the community.


CONCLUSIONS
Apart from the traditional risk factors, environmental and psycho-social factors and population dynamics must be taken into account when assessing the risk for a man in Kiruna of developing a myocardial infarction.
Sihm
H
H
Department of General Practice, Kiruna District Hospital, Sweden.
Messner
T
T
D000328:Adult; D001110:Arctic Regions; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D005192:Family Health; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014171:Transients and Migrants