[The effect of pre-infarction unstable angina on the size of myocardial necrosis].
OBJECTIVE
Recent studies suggest that preinfarction angina (PA) might induce less myocardial necrosis. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether patients with PA have smaller myocardial infarctions.


METHODS
Patients with acute myocardial infarction of less than 12 hours since the onset symptoms were included. PA was defined as unstable angina at rest during the 7 days before the infarction. Infarct size was assessed with the area under the curve of CK-MB levels in the 24 hours following the onset of the infarct.


RESULTS
One hundred-seventy nine patients were included, 75 (41.9%) with PA. There were more men in the group with PA (89.3% vs 70.2%, p = 0.004) and a higher prevalence of ex-smokers (38.7% vs 19.2%, p = 0.006). We did not find significant differences in myocardial infarction size between both groups, but a statistically significant interaction between PA and pre-treatment with sulfonylurea drugs was noted (p = 0.050).


CONCLUSIONS
Preinfarction angina does not seem to induce less myocardial necrosis in this study. There is a significant interaction between preinfarction angina and pre-treatment with sulfonylurea drugs.
Iglesias Garriz
I
I
Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital de León. med016340@nacom.es
Sastre Ibarretxe
M
M
Garrote Coloma
C
C
Delgado Fernández
S
S
Corral Fernández
F
F
Obaya Rebollar
J C
JC
Fidalgo Andrés
M L
ML
D000368:Aged; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D009336:Necrosis